ebruary 1994 • Issue 37 • £3.60
UrOPRESS
Soft program worth
CS(
F £r
Write programs and
documents with this
excellent text editor
|F 1|F I An intriguing and
] TM\*M challenging puzzle
The fascinating game Naarjek and
brilliant sound sampling utility Sound Lab
I
OD@DW
REVIEWED: MAGIX2, DA VECTOR PRO, UVK 6, DIGITAPE AND MORE
9 770952"300060"
Quality at the r
OUR NEW SHOWROOM IS NOW OPEN:
126 Fore Street, Upper Edmonton, London N18 2AX. Tel: 081-345 6000
SCANNER
Newcomers who like to scan detailed graphics or complicated images experience
with the ALFADATA a favourable alternative to typing or re-scaling and investing
a lot of time. Advanced users who insist on the efficient character recognition and
comfortable graphic software. Choose between ALFADATA Plus or ALFADATA
Plus OCR. ^
ALFADATA PLUS
£119.00
ALFADATA OCR
£149.00
Colour Scanner for the Falcon
£399.00
Mono Scanner for the Falcon
£99.00
ATARI FALCON 030 | FALCON 030
EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE
SOFTWARE I ACCESSORIES
WORD PROCESSORS
Word writer £45.00
lstWordPlusV3.2 £39.95
Calligrapher Pro £73.95
Calligraphy Gold £104.95
DTP SOFTWARE
Calamus 1 .09N £95.00
Pagestream V2.2 £149.00
Calamus 5 £325.00
Timcworks Publisher 2 £55.95
Calamus SL £545.00
OCR Software £49.95
Touch Up (upgrade) £27.00
Easydraw (supercharged) £29.95
CyberStudio £19.00
Cyber Control £19.00
Cyber Paint £19.00
Truepaint (for Falcon) £32.95
Human Design Disk £9.00
Future Design Disk £9.00
3D Fonts 1 £9.00
Cad 3D £9.00
Cad 3D Developers' Disk £9.00
Neo Desk 3 £28.00
Thai's Funface £9.00
Signs and Banners £15.00
Calendar + Stationery £15.00
Greeting Cards £15.00
MUSIC SOFTWARE
■■«■
we make computers groove.
Emagic Notator SL £279.00
Emagic Creator £179.00
Emagic Unitor 2 £230.00
Cubeat £150.00
Cubase Version 3 £3 19.00
Cubase Light £70.00
Notator Alpha £170.00
Cubase Audio P.O.A.
Mono-Colour Monitor
Swilchbox £14.95
Multi-sync Switchbox £29.95
Printer Cable £6.00
Modem Cable £6.00
Null Modem Cable £6.00
Serial Cable £6.00
Philips/Atari Cable £10.00
Scan Cable £10.00
5.25" External Drive £29.00
3.5" External Drive £50.00
3.5" 1.44Mb External Disk Drive
for Atari/Mega STE/TT £99.00
Blitz Turbo £25.00
Ripper Cartridge £25.00
Power Cable (kettle lead) £6.00
Mouse Pad (picture) £5.00
Blank Disk (branded) £4.49
Spike Protectors £30.00
Dust Covers (all sorts) £6.00
Soldering Irons £10.00
SCSI II Cable £29.95
Hard Drive Fans £5.00
Midi Cables £10.00
D.M.A. Cable £6.00
SCSI Cable £6.00
SCSI Splitter Cable £9.99
Optical Mouse Pad £10.00
Printer Ribbons (all sorts) P.O.A.
Toner Cartridge (all sorts) P.O.A.
Disk Box (40 capacity) £4.95
Atari to TV cable £10.00
Printer Switchbox £9.95
ICD
ICD HOST (SCSI) ADAPTORS
AD SCSI ST £100.00
AD SCSI plus ST £1 10.00
The Link £89.00
ICD Utility Disk + Manual £24.95
Clean Up ST £14.95
All prices are inclusive of VAT.
Products advertised represent a small sample of
our in-stock range.
A 16MHz 32 bit computer for fast
procesnft, it comes with a 1.44Mb
floppy u'is' irive. with built-in speaker.
Falcon 03(rWfc POA
Falcon 030 4MrT POA
Falcon 030 4Mb >S«»lb
Hard Drive ??£, POA
Falcon 030 14Mb + S9W*
Hard Drive -<Et* P0A
Falcon 030 4Mb + 1 20Mb ~/>
Hard Drive .TWfc,..POA
Falcon Q30 4Mb + 210Mb "S
Hard Drive T..POA
Falcon Eagle Sonic 32 (32MHz)
Accelerator for Atari Falcon 030
£199
FALCON MONITORS
Hi-Res mono monitor for
Falcon 030 £99.00
SVGA colour for Falcon 030
.28 dot pitch £239.00
Includes adaptor cables from
Falcon to the monitors.
F0LD-A-FAXM0DEM
AFM-9624P
m
• Foldable: Can be turned up and down
within a 180-degree arc
• Space-saver: Occupies only 5cm of
rear space
• Maximum Safety: Prevents accidental
bumping that may lead to
disconnection and eventual damage
Fax/Modem only £129.00
Fax/Modem with straight fax
software £179.00
20Mb £55.00
40Mb £99.00
52Mb £199.00
85Mb £229.00
1 27Mb £279.00
170Mb £299.00
240Mb £399.00
Internal Power Supply for
Atari (ST/STF/STFM/STE) £32.95
Atari Internal Disk Drive £45.00
Keyboard Atari STFM-STE £59.00
STE Motherboard No RAM £99.00
D.M.A. Chip P.O.A.
TOS 2.06 STE/STFM £59.00
l/2Mb STFM Motherboard £69.00
Outercasing STE/STFM £28.00
Atari Original Mouse £8.00
An economical enclosure designed to
mount a single, half height, 3.5" device.
Features a 40 watt power supply with a
universal AC input for use throughout
the world and a low noise 15C.F.M. fan
to provide device cooling. Also includes
the Falcon SCSI II cable.
SCSI II Casing £129.00
40Mb + . SCSI II Casing £199.00
52Mb + SCSI II Casing £259.00
127Mb + SCSI II Casing £339.00
170Mb + SCSI II Casing £369.00
240Mb + SCSI II Casing £399.00
540Mb + SCSI II Casing £599.00
1.2 Gigabyte + SCSI II Casing. ...£999.00
Floptical £389.00
INTERNAL HARD DRIVE
High quality internal 2.5" IDE Hard
drives for the Falcons, including
mounting bracket and IDE cable.
40Mb £129.00
65Mb £169.00
85Mb £199.00
120Mb £249.00
240Mb £499.00
330Mb P.O.A.
SCSI II Cable £34.95
ST Monitor Cable £15.00
SVGA Monitor Cable £15.00
Musicom £43.99
Truepaint £33.99
Cubase Audio P.O.A.
Notator Logic P.O.A.
400 DPI Mouse £17.95
Microphone £29.95
Midi Cable £12.95
Stereo Speakers £29.95
Stereo Headphones £16.95
ICD Pro Utility £38.00
Mullitos £49.95
Speedo GDOS inc 14 fonts £39.95
Datalite 2 £49.95
Diamond Edge £44.95
Diamond Back 2 £34.95
MigraphOCR £49.95
N VDI v2.5 £49.95
TS AND PIECES^ OFFICIAL ATARI
REPAIR CENTRE
New service centre/repair for most Atari
computers. We offer a quotation service
of £10 for which we will examine your
computer and report back with an exact
quotation price for the repair, if the
repair is carried out die £10 is then
deducted from your bill
IGHT PRICE...
ATARI MEMORY I AUTO MOUSE/
UPGRADES | JOYSTICK SWITCH
^£;XTRA-RAMSTZW
INCREASE YOUR MEMORY!
ST/STF/STFM and MEGA ST
XTRA RAM Board 0Mb £24.95
512KtolMb £29.95
1Mb to 2Mb £65.00
2Mb to 4Mb £120.00
8Mb for Atari ST P.O.A.
Falcon 14Mb £699.00
Virtual Memory £49.00
GASTEINER STE UPGRADES
SIMM to SIPP Adaptor £3.00
l/2Mb £4.95
2Mb £45.00
4Mb £90.00
F0RGET-ME-CL0CKII
Clock Cartridge for the Atari
ST/STe and Falcon series
Clock Cartridge
Clock Cartridge W/Thru port ..
..£11.99
..£14.99
ATARI
Atari 520 STE 1/2 Mb £169.00
Atari 520 STE 1Mb £189.00
Atari 520 STE 2Mb £265.00
Atari 520 STE 4Mb £320.00
Atari 1040 STE.. .1Mb £199.00
Atari 520 STFM £149.00
MONITORS
GASTEINER DOES IT AGAIN. Sold
over 5.000 units of their high resolution
Atari replacement monitors
Gasleiner GM 146 no speaker £1 19.00
GasteinerGM148 with speaker P.O.A.
Gasteiner multisync monitor £369.00
Philips 8833 MkJI £199.00
Atari SC1224 £179.00
HP 510 Mono Printer £319.00
HP 550C Colour Printer £630.00
Seikosha IP 104 Laserprinler £549.00
Ricoh Laserprinter £769.00
HP Laserjet 4L £699.00
Citizen Swift 200 £199.00
Citizen 120D £129.00
Citizen Swift 240 Colour £299.00
Ui
STAR
BARGAII
OF THE
MONTH
40Mb
Hard Drivt
'.£199.95
rn
Allows you to instantly select either your
mouse or joystick by a simple click on
your mouse. You won't need to fumble
around under or behind your computer to
swap your mouse and joystick cable ever
again, and also it saves your joystick port
AT A GIVEAWAY PRICE
£9.99
ERGAN0MIC DESIGN
TRACKBALL SERIES
GASTEINER HARD DRIVE
i
Due to the massive popularity of our
Gasteiner Hard Drives which we have
been manufacturing for the past five
years, and the demand for our cases,
we are now producing a choice of
cases ranging from 3.5" half height to
5.25" full height which can take a
massive 1.2 Gigabyte hard drive.
We also have in stock the latest in hard
drive cases which enable you to have
up to 8 SCSI hard drives fitted
internally all in one case. Compatible
with all Atari ST/STF/STFM/STE/
Mega ST/Mega STE computers.
20Mb £169.00
40Mb £199.95
52Mb £269.00
85Mb £299.00
127Mb £349.00
170Mb £379.00
240Mb £499.00
540Mb £749.00
1 .2 Gigabyte £1 199.00
Floptical £379.00
Optical 128Mb £950
Optical 128Mb Disk £50
IF YOU REQUIRE A FLOPTICAL
WITH THE ABOVE HARD
DRIVES PLEASE CALL
E, & 0. E. Prices subject to
change without notice.
Goods subject to availability.
Specifications subject to change without notice.
All Trademarks acknowledged.
The ICD
Pro Utilities
£38.00
Alfa Data Mega Mouw
with Mouse Mat & Holder
£14.95
QUALITY MOUSE
FOR ATARI
UNDER PONE POUNDS
£8.95
DISKETTES
100% ERROR-
FREE. You get
total reliability.
Each diskette is
subjected to more
than 70 chemical,
magnetic and
electrical tests to
AS LOW AS ensure il delivers
OA Aft exceptional
cfc t f» t f>' accuracy and
BOX OF 10 readability
OPTICAL MOUSE &
MOUSE-PEN SERIES
MOUSE 400
New from Japan. The 400 DPI mouse
with Hi-tech mechanism, microswitch
buttons, small, fits nice and snug in the
palm of your hand. All at an affordable
price of
£14.95
BUILD YOUR OWN HARD
DRIVES FOR ATARI COMPUTERS
Casing £35.00
45 Walt P.S.U £35.00
SCSI Cable £6.00
DMA Cable £6.00
Power Cable £6.00
SCSI to Centronics Cable £18.00
G.E. Soft Host Adaptor £59.95
SCSI II Cable for Falcon £34.95
Top Link Controller £75.00
...No Compromise
Official purchase orders welcome from
Educational establishments and major
corporates. (Strictly J 4 days net).
Please phone for approval.
All prices include VAT.
Prices and specifications subject
to change without notice. E&OE.
All goods under £50 please add £3.50 p&p
and all goods above £50 please add £10
I Courier Service. Next day service please call.
Unit 2, Millmead Business Centre
Mill Mead Road, Tottenham Hale,
London N17 9QU
Tel: 081 365 1151 (3 lines)
Fax: 081 885 1953
Major credit cards accepted
Contents
Why Atari's new console simply
knocks the spots oi the competition L2J
mmmmm
of the ST
Midi and music 86
News on a bulletin board which could be the
ideal way for musicians to keep in touch
Emulation 89
What to do if parts of your ST break down and why
Atari got it right with their ROM-based TOS
Communications 91
A new and comprehensive guide for Internet
newcomers is a perfect reference work and tutorial
DTP 93
A series on document design kicks off discussing the
right fonts and looks for restaurant menus
Business 95
How to keep your business on the right side of the
law and several ways in which the ST can help
Falcon 97
We take a peek at some direct-to-disk recording
programs that will turn your Falcon into a hi-fi
Atari ST User February I 994
Houiiuk -p
position
Review of the
year
Jaguar
Cybermorph..
Talkback
Speedball 2 ...
Genesia
.60 Fl
.62 Manga
.62 Jaguar developers .
.66 Space Crusade
.67 Robocod
Twenty-four pages of complete
and unrivalled ST games coverage
22 Memory upgrades
With an increasing number memory-
hungry programs being launched it's never
been more important to upgrade
26 Cross purposes
Hints and tips on getting text, sound and
vision between Atari computers and
industry-standard machines
40 Don't be bitten
Sound advice to ensure readers who buy
software and hardware through mail
order don't get bitten by the sharks
reviews
30 DigiTape
Our music expert puts this revolutionary
tapeless recording system through its
paces
33 UVK 6
This leading virus killer has just been
given many new features including the
ability to be used as a desk accessory
34 VideoMaster Fa/con
A low cost multimedia package found to
be ideal for full colour video digitising
and 16-bit stereo sampling
36 DA Vector Pro
The best outline art package for Atari
computers is now available with
enhanced capabilities. We test it out
47 EdHak 3
Improvements to this versatile text
editor make it a serious competitor
in a crowded market
SO Mag'.x 2
A multitasking system enabling ST
owners to switch from program to
program in an instant
7 News
Jaguar to target Sega and Nintendo
console owners. Government give
games epilepsy all-clear, and much more
10 Euro News
The latest highlights from the continent
including a new morphing program bringing
Hollywood-style video effects to the home
12 CoverDisk
Discover more about this month's disk
and how to use the wonderful software
it contains
16 Disk tutorial
We take you by the hand and show how
to get the most from this month's excel-
lent CoverDisk giveaway, Tempus 2
44 Win a printer!
Gems from the public domain this month
include games Storm, Kev's World and
Tri-Heli 2 plus a selection of useful utilities
48 Public Sector
Ensure you don't miss another issue of
your favourite magazine, save loads of
money and pick a free gift too
S3 C programming
Opening up a dialogue box and
making things happen with our
Othello program
55 Write Now
Too much Falcon coverage vs the need
for Falcon support and how your kids
are buying computer porn
56 Advice Service
Solutions to your problems on buying
a second drive, a bleeping keyboard,
power supplies and adding memory
86 Aspects
Seven pages of hints and tips for users
of key ST applications - Midi, emulation,
comms, Falcon, DTP and business
90 Back Issues
A chance for you to pick up copies of the
magazine that you missed - and, of
course, some great CoverDisk software!
96 Classifieds
More ST-related products in
our free advert section. Pick up
a bargain I
TECHNICAL EDITOR
PRODUCTION EDITOR
STAFF WRITERS
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
AD MANAGER
AD PRODUCTION
MARKETING MANAGER
PRODUCTiONMANAGER
CIRCULATION DIRECTOR
DISTRIBUTION
SUBSCRIPTIONS
John Butters
Terry Thiele
Matthew Bell
Corl Fox
Darren Evans
Phil Morse
Jonathan Maddock
Si man Clays
Adam Phillips
Tina Hockett
Simon Lees
Barbara Newell
Lucy Oliver
Sandra Chi Ids
David Wren
COMAG |0895) 444055
051-357 2961
Published by Europress Enterprise Ltd.
Europe House, Adlington Pork,
Macclesfield SK10 4NP
Tel: 0625 878B88 (all departments)
Fax: 0625 850652
Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation
■Atari if User is an independent publication
and Alari ore not responsible far any of rhe
articles in this issue or for any of the
opinions expressed.
© 1994 Europress Enterprise Ltd.
No material may be reproduced
in whole or in part without
written permission.
While every core is taken,
the publishers cannot be held legally
responsible for any errors in articles,
listings or advertisements.
evmM
Printed in the UK by Carlisle Web Offset, Carlisle, Cumbria
CbverDisk
-in
rj ^ excellent text editor
An intriguing and
challenging puzzle I
Write programs and
documents with
Tempus 2, HiSott's
feature-packed text
editor worth £40, but
given away free on
this month's disk
zj m i j--
• Load programs quickly using the
great GoGoST GEM-based menu
system
• Albion, a powerful file information
utility to replace the ST's Show Info
function
• Have some fun playing 3D puzzle
Soma and the challenging Naarjek IV
• A colouring book program which
allows kids to use the mouse to
colour in ten pre-drawn pictures
• Manipulate sound samples in various
formats using Sound Lab, a brilliant
program for use with ST Replay and
DaataSound
• Convert sound files from one format
to another with Five to Five
s
ystem (')
olutioris
MiniS
World Record
68000 CPU running at 36MHz
Two new Accelerators are now available for
the MegaST and ST(FM) computers.
Performance and price are sensational. The
T28 with a 28MHz clock is 3.5 times faster and
the T36 with a 36MHz clock is 4.5 times faster
than the original ST's clock. The use of the
original 68000 processor guarantees near
perfect compatibilty. CPU cacheing is
switchable for added compatibility with the
cartridge port devices. DTP, Graphics
Software and Cubase show a fantastic speed
increase. Compared with a standard ST with
NVDI and without Blitter, Gembench gives the
following results:
ST(FM) T28 T36
CPU 100% 299% 373%
Graphics 100% 949% 1097%
Average 100% 763% 890%
The combination of the T28/T36 and NVDI
transforms the humble ST into a powerful
graphics workstation - a dream come true for
all those who want more speed at an
affordable price.
T28 Accelerator, 28MHz, 64kb Cache £189
T36 Accelerator, 36MHz, 64kb Cache £279
NVDI boughtwitheither £39.95
High Density
eICo doubles Disk space to 1.44Mb!
•k Automatic floppy disk detection
* Compatible with your floppy disks
* Software is included. (ACC and CPX)
Kit price still only £79.95 inc vat
High Res Monitors
The SMHs is a perfect replacement for the
Atari SM124/5 monochrome monitors,
exceeding the original specifications. The 14"
high resolution paperwhite F5T gives a
perfectly centred, crisp and sharp image
without blurring at the edges.
"Essential Buy, 90%"
ST Review, May 93
without audio
SM14 £129.95
with audio
SM14s£149.95
The small award winning SCSI Hard Disk
System at an affordable price, for all
computers with SCSI connections.
Awarded 92%, "Essential buy"
Atari ST Review Christmas '93
* Quiet fan * Dual SCSI port
•* Device Number Switch
* Internal Power Supply
• Small (2.5x6x8.5in)(WxHxD)
+ Smart and tough plastic case
•k 1 Year Warranty on all drives
TT/Falcon ST(FM/e)
127MB £279 £319
170MB £309 £349
270MB £359 £399
340MB £459 £499
525MB £699 £739
1080MB £999 £1049
1800MB £1499 £1549
Please add £20 to STCFM/e) if the ICD Link is required.
Heavy Duty professional cases with 60W Power
Supply, add £50. All Prices include VAT
To order and for further information
telephone or write to:
System Solutions
Windsor Business Centre, Vansittart Road,
Windsor, SL41SE Fax:0753-830344
Mail Order Telephone
0753-832212
or come to our London Showroom at:
The Desktop Centre
17-19 Blackwater Street, London, SE22 8RS
Tel: 081-693 3355 Fax:081-693 6936
For small iter
Large iter
s under £50 please add £2.95 P&P
s over £50, courier charge £10
2r enquiries are welcome
KeyClicks
THEIR BACK!!
At Ions last we have this invaluable keyboard
accessory back in stock. The Atari keyboard has
never been famous for its good feel, but now you
can cure this with Keyclicks. These are small rubber
"mushrooms" that fit between the keytop and the
actuator underneath. They will transform the feel of
the keys. Easy DIY installation... for ST(FM/e), and
FALCON 030 computers.
Price: £19.95 for a complete set.
Special Offer:
If purchased with any other product only £15.00
Tote [FaDeooii (SoDtMM)
Are you planning to purchase a Faicon? How
much of your old kit will work on it? Or do
you just feel tempted and want to know how
much a complete system would cost? For
advice and a personal quote phone:
London: 081-693 3355 or
Windsor: 0753 832212
Now in Stock
Falcon030 Starter Pack:
4mb, 14" Mono Monitor & BlowUP £889
BlowUP 030 the Display Expander
Using Software and/or Hardware the
display expands up to 400%. Virtual
screens up to 8000% are also possible.
BlowUP 030 - Software £15.00
up to 880x608 53/101HZ
BlowUP 030 - Hard 1 £49.95
Exellent for Multiscan's (1024x768)
BlowUP 030 - Hard 2 £69.95
VGA and other fixed frequency monitors.
falCOnWING SIMM memory board
Accepts 4x 1mb or 4mb SIMM,
falconWING - Omb £49.95
falconWING-14mb £699
Price includes trade-in on 4mb memory board.
Falcon Tower £179.95
Integrates the system, space for extra
hard drives, separate or replacement
keyboard. Phone for the Tower Fact Sheet
and price list. DIY or ask for a quote on
ready-to-run fitted systems.
We are now
dealers for
S tein berg
Cubase Audio for the Falcon 030 is now
up and running in the Showroom.
4
FLY LIKE THE WIND...
NVDI replaces the Atari display routines.
Screen updates with NVDI are 3-10 times
faster. Works with all TOS versions on all Atari
ST, MegaST, TT and for the Falcon.
MultiTOS and SpeedoGDOScompatible.
"Scrolling through a long text file in 1st Word
Plus took half the time ... Calamus,
CaNigrapher and Wordflair also showed a
marked improvement ... Compatibility is
remarkable and we have yet to find a
program that is not compatible with NVDI. ...
a must for all ST and Falcon owners"
ST Review Issue 16, August 1993.
NVDI Version 2.5 -£49.95
Repairs & Upgrades
All repairs are carried out by qualified personnel. If you would
like a quote, please ask for an estimate. Need it back in a hurry?
Then ask for our professional next-day service. Call us to discuss
your upgrade requirements. We fit all quality upgrade products
available. We can collect and deliver.
Call the professionals now for your personal quote.
Windsor Service Centre:
Windsor Business Centre, off Duke Street,
Windsor, SL41SE. Tel:0753-818816
London Service Centre:
The Desktop Centre, 17-19 Blackwater Street,
East Duiwich, SE22 8RS. Tel:081-693 1919
ATA?i
WORKSHOP
Jaguar's eyes
on console
owners
by John Butters
SEGA and Nintendo console owners will
be the first people targeted for Jaguar
when Atari's European marketing
campaign kicks off in March.
With console sales now dropping off across
the country, Atari consider it important to
attract existing games players who may want
to upgrade to the world's most advanced
games system.
The firm say Jaguar's user benefit will be
extremely easy to show, and according to
spokesman Peter Walker: "There is simply no
comparison when it comes to graphics and
sound."
The company have been overwhelmed by
reaction to the machine in the United States,
where "wild" consumer demand is far greater
than the North Carolina production facility can
meet.
So far more than 40,000 Jaguars are claimed
to have been delivered to end users, and with
a national US roll out during the next couple of
months, demand is expected to soar.
A small quantity of machines were even
shipped into Britain before Christmas, and
although no-one at Atari would say exactly
how many, one insider described the number
as "embarrassingly small".
The source said many companies had taken
orders and money from customers but were
not supplied with the consoles they expected.
There is no confirmed date for the next ship-
ment.
Atari, meanwhile, continue to be busy whip-
ping up enthusiasm for the device, and for the
first time in three years attended the massive
Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
Walker explained the main purpose of
the visit was for Atari to forge new links
with software developers and
distributors, as well ;
previewing software and
peripherals.
Among new products
shown to visitors were
games Alien vs Predator and
Tempest 2000 and an Atari-badged CD-ROM
drive, which is described by the firm as a
"pretty standard" device.
Mega Drive: Owners to be
targeted for a better system
Epilepsy report clears video games
PLAYING video games very rarely triggers
epileptic seizures in people without a known
history of epilepsy.
That's the finding of a Government-funded
report just published following a national
study led by Dr David Fish of the National
Society for Epilepsy.
It reveals that people who suffer seizures
for the first time while playing video games
are photosensitive - in other words they are
susceptible to flashing light.
The report says of the 30,000 Brits who
suffer their first seizure each year, 600 are
definitely at risk from epilepsy attacks trig-
gered by TV, video games and other light
sources.
Up to 150 people each year may have their
first seizure brought on by playing a video
game, although there is no evidence that
photosensitivity can actually be caused by the
games.
Most newly diagnosed photosensitive
epileptics are between seven and 19 years
old, it adds.
Consumer affairs minister Lord Strathclyde
said: "This report shows that
photosensitive epilepsy
affects a very small number
of people.
"A much smaller number
suffer their first seizure
while playing video games -
roughly the same as through
watching television.
"People who suffer must
always seek medical advice
and those with known
epilepsy should ask their
doctor whether they are at
risk from seizures triggered
by video games."
Some computer games
makers have recently been
putting warnings on the
outside of their packaging
advising players how to avoid health prob-
Games: Government
give epilepsy all-clear
The industry watchdog ELSPA's general whether the player suffers from epilepsy."
secretary Roger Bennett said: "There are "Don't sit too close to the monitor, don't
certain issues that are important regardless of play for too long and don't play in the dark."
Atari ST User February 1994
News
Playing Falcon
FOUR Falcon-specific games will
be launched by Atari during the
next few weeks, the firm have
just announced.
Among the titles will be Jeff
Minter's Llamazap, Steel Talons,
Road Riot 4 Wheel Drive, and
Evolution Dino Dudes. Each has a
target price of £29.99, but distrib-
ution remains to be fixed.
Cubase help
CUBASE users wanting to get
more from their software are
targeted for Cubase Power Users
Guide, a new book from Intrinsic
Technology (08 1 -76 1 0178).
The firm say the £12 book's 127
pages help musicians get more
from their sequencer, with the
inclusion of techniques and work-
ing methods. It also has a section
on Cubase Audio for Falcon.
Scots online
GIANT online information
service CompuServe have added
an Edinburgh node to their
network. It can be used at access
speeds up to 9,600 baud by
dialling 021-557 5888.
Online guide
MODEM manufacturer US
Robotics have published a free
booklet aimed at stimulating
increased use of the range of on-
line information services avail-
able.
The Sportster Guide to On-line
Services gives details of the vari-
ous services which can be
accessed using a modem, includ-
ing several small bulletin boards.
The 40-page guide can be
obtained by writing to Sally
Roberts, US Robotics, 224
Berwick Avenue, Slough SLI
4QT, or by telephoning 0753
81 1 180.
User shows move north
On sale
WATCH out for the March
issue - on sale at a newsagent
near you from February 17.
TWO Atari-specific shows held in the
Midlands and the north of England recently
were the launch pad for several new ST and
Falcon
products.
Both Atari ST User-sponsored events were
well attended and gave Atari enthusiasts a
chance to see new products and talk to deal-
ers and other visitors.
On show for the first time from Compo
Software were ScreenEye - a real time video
image processor that works in full colour on
the Falcon - Geneva and Musicom II.
HiSoft showed Clarity 16, Colour Master
and Harlekin 3 while System Solutions have
re-introduced Keyclicks with a new price of
£19.95.
The London-based specialist also showed
new multitasking system Mag!x for the first
time in Britain at the Northern show - see
our exclusive review on page 50.
The shows saw the launch of many other
new products including an alternative operat-
ing system called SMS2, Chroma 24 and
Straight Fax 2.
Karl Brandt, managing director of System
Solutions said: "I enjoy these shows because
they are all Atari users. There's no computer
snobbery and they appreciate the equipment."
Other exhibitors included 16/32 Systems,
Warpzone PDL, CGS ComputerBild,
Gasteiner, Falcon Fact File, JCA Europe and
Titan Designs.
Following the success of these shows, two
dates have been added to this year's calendar
in Newcastle and Glasgow. Provisional dates
are March 19 and 20 respectively.
More new products are planned for the
show including the first ever British showing
of the Medusa, an Atari computer clone with
a 68040 processor running at 66MHz.
It is claimed to operate I 5 times faster than
aTT.
^s^S^
Mil ■ 11
■ «#
Shows: New products and enthusiastic visitors
Forty programs run at once
UP TO 40 programs can run simultane-
ously on Atari STs using a new operating
system developed by Southampton-based
company Furst (0489 894674).
Unfortunately, the system - SMS2 - is
not compatible with TOS, meaning Atari
software will not run on the computer
when the cartridge is fitted.
But according to Furst, plenty of
programs are already available for SMS2,
including public domain software, a C
compiler and a word processor.
The system is claimed to bring several
advantages to ST owners. "SMS2 offers a
different form of computing," said Furst
boss Graham Goodman.
"It's a truly multitasking system that can
also be used as a real time system for
controlling applications."
Features include a graphical user inter-
face, in-built networking, a suite of utili-
ties, and a special system to enable
applications to share memory.
It works with all STs, with the number
of programs available for multitasking
limited only by memory. SMS2 is,
however, incompatible with the Falcon. It
costs £1 35.
Virgin fund football training
VIRGIN Interactive Entertainment have spon-
sored a scheme to teach Britain's kids how to
become skilful football players just weeks
after England failed to qualify for this year's
World Cup
The company - publisher of football hit
Goal! - handed over a £47,000 cheque
recently to the co-ordinator of the Virgin
Virgin: Handing over £47,000 cheque
to improve UK football
Games Schools Football Initiative at Arsenal's
Highbury ground.
The scheme enables schools to use a Dutch
method of coaching called Coerver which
uses one ball, one player training instead of
the more common I I -players, one ball.
Children of all ages can take part, and after
their schools have signed up are asked to find
extra sponsorship from friends and family to
fund sports equipment needed for the train-
ing.
Of the money used to set up the scheme,
Virgin and the Government each donated
£20,000, and £7,000 came from other spon-
sors Adidas a football magazine Shoot!
"The sponsorship deal could not have
come at a more opportune time following
England's failure to qualify for the World
Cup," said Virgin's marketing manager Paul
Dowling.
"Not only does the scheme encourage kids
to learn individual football skills, but it will
also give Virgin Interactive Entertainment
direct access to around 25,000 UK schools."
Atari ST User February 1994
Premier Programs For Your Atari
Inshape
Inshapes begins with the modeller, which has a variety of
tools such as spin, extrude, and a template editor. Many
built in primitives like cube, sphere, disc, cylinder, and tube
are also included. Models can be assembled from component
objects using up to 16 layers. Manipulation tools means an
object can be moved, rotated, scaled to an accuracy of
0.0001mm. A wide range of materials are provided including
metals, stones, plastic, wood, glass and sand. Many textures
are available from marble to multi coloured spots. Even
features such as bump mapping, image mapping, and waves
are possible. Models can be illuminated, positioned and
animated in the scene editor which in turn is your 3D world.
"A feature-packed modelling package that deserves to take
the market by storm."
David IMilson. ST Review December 1993.
'It's the best there is."
Clive Parker. ST Format February 1994.
DA's Vector and DA's Vector Pro
The essential graphics, animation and presentation tool.
DA's vector is a colour vector graphics program for any Atari ST(E)/TT and
Falcon computer, with at least 2MB of memory.
Unfortunately, we don't have sufficient space on this page to list the 100's
of features included, like the tracer, vectorpath editor,
3d extruder, vector morphing, keyframe animator,
graph and chart generator, picture converter,
colourfade generator, freehand bezier drawing, to
name but some of the features that combine to
make this program not so much
a tool as a fully equipped graphics workshop.
And now the best is getting better with DA's |
Vector Professional's added abilities. Phone for
further information, also details on the excellent
Tutorial which is now available.
"If we were to pick just one winner, without doubt this would be it."
Atari ST User 1993 Awards.
■..J
ta ~ , j
yn ■
Mill! P
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IB pi_i~r 1
irjui
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DA's Picture
The brief was simple: "Develop an image retouching program
with more power than Retouche Professional and be easy to use."
The result "DA's Picture".
DA's Picture is the most recent member to the Digital Arts family
of acclaimed products, and a software hardware bundle is
available with the Matrix Screeneye Digitiser.
DA's Picture Software £149.00 inc. VAT.
Please note that InShape requires a maths co-processor and works with an Atari TT or Falcon, priced at £149.00.
DA's Vector is £149.00 and DA's Vector Pro is scheduled to be approx £249.00. Chagall Limited is £149.00. The Tabby
Graphics Tablet is £49.95 and DigiTape Lite is on special offer at £99.00 with a copy of this advertisement, until Feb '94.
CGS ComputerBild may be contacted on 081 679 7307 for orders and further information, or write to us at:
231 Northborough Road, Norbury, London SW16 4TU.
Don Maple rounds up the
latest highlights from the
European Atari scene
, -*'>*W"*<**Vj
f
Hollywood effects
come to the home
UNTIL recently morphing effects were only
possible on multi-million dollar purpose-built
computers, but now Morpher brings the
latest Hollywood video tricks to all STs
and the Falcon.
A special version of the program supports a
floating point co-processor, works on both 2D
and 3D objects and runs fully under GEM and
inside windows.
There is a total of five windows of which
only three contain graphics. These are the
source graphic window, the target graphic
window and the "morphed" window. The
remaining two contain the tools and a progress
indicator. The Morpher can create animations
in up to 99 steps but due to the calculation-
intensive nature of the processing this might
take a very long time to achieve.
A fast machine such as the TT is therefore
recommended. Once the images have been
saved a separate program called the Player is
used to animate them.
Running in up to 256 colours, the programs
are available from Application Systems
Heidelberg, Postfach 10 26 46, 69016
Heidelberg, Germany.
Falcon takes to the rails
AT LONG last Falcon-specific games are begin-
ning to appear. Golden Island runs only on the
Falcon in the high resolution 256-colour mode.
Because of this, a VGA monitor is recom-
mended, as running the game on an RGB moni-
tor is only possible in the interlace mode.
The game is based around a railway network
and the goal is to drive a train collecting gold,
which has been hidden all over the place by a
bunch of criminals.
The train contains a crane which is used to pick
up the gold and to load it in. Various other objects
can also be collected and used along the way.
In the course of the game enemy trains must
be destroyed without using any weapons and
this can prove a formidable challenge.
It supports those rarely-used extended
joystick ports and there are plans to support
the new Atari Joypad game controller.
Golden Island costs DM59 (about £25) and is
available from WBW-Service, Willi B. Werk,
Osterfeuerbergstr. 38, 28219 Bremen, Germany.
.•*•.
*•*
CHRONOS, the calendar/appointment planner with a difference ^^ ^ j\
reviewed in last November's Euro News has just been released
in v lis.
Improvements include MultiTOS compatibility, more appoint- A'Cllffi'l'^lllf A"
ments are shown during booting, additional astronomical data is ^filll WWIIIm^
displayed and the appointments now extend all the way to the
end of year 2 1 07 for those who intend to live that long.
To register send £12 to Daniel Roth, Bruecker Mauspfad 448, ^^j*^^^
5 1 109 Cologne, Germany. I — 1
The author of 1st Guide, the highly recommended multimedia hypercard program reviewed
here in the Christmas issue, has moved. The new address is: Guido Vollbeding, Turmstr. 61,
061 10 Halle/Saale, Germany. Send £10 to receive a registered copy of the program.
The eMailList mentioned here in the Christmas edition of EuroNews is now up to v6. Since its
release this email equivalent of Yellow Pages directory of prominent Atari individuals and compa-
nies has rapidly grown in size and become international.
A must for anyone involved with Atari. Write to Achim^Wilhelm @ m4.maus.de for more
11 Atari ST User February 1994
£
\
lit
WE'LL turn away from serious applications
this month and introduce a game. Utopos
is a shareware offering from a group of
Finnish ST enthusiasts who go by the name
of Aggression.
It's a shoot-'em-up, programmed to high
professional standards with excellent
graphics.
The program makes full use of all of STE
features. This means 32 colours, eight
channels of sound and smooth scrolling.
A horizontally split screen supports two
players, each controlling their own space-
ship.
Agressia are bilingual and speak both
English and French. The playable demo
version is available at the Necronomicon
BBS in Finland which can be telephoned on
+358-0-3882710.
For a full version send £6 in cash (the
authors insists on cash) to Jani Penttinen,
Lahdekuja 2b5, 16300 Orimattila, Finland.
An expanding Portfolio
SEVERAL Portfolio products have just been
announced by Eickmann Computer, proving
that the grandfather of all pocket computers is
still alive and kicking.
The memory card called Stefanie comes
populated with 128k of RAM, but the really
interesting products are the floppy and hard
disk interfaces.
For DM300 (about £120) you get the
Diskfolio Interface with serial, parallel and
floppy drive ports.
The bundle also contains an ST-compatible
floppy drive. The hard drive version, called
Universal Interface, also has both serial and
parallel ports.
In addition, it contains room for up to 512k
of RAM and a built-in ROM with a software
driver, a terminal program and P-BASIC. The
hard disk connects to the parallel port.
Contact Eickmann Computer at In der
Roemerstadt 259, 60488 Frankfurt am Main,
Germany.
'vjjjpnijjji
33 Ormskirk Rd,
Preston, Lanes,
PR1 2QP
Ladbroke Computing
International are one of
the longest established home computer
dealers in the U.K. We have developed an
extensive customer service policy which
involves testing of all hardware prior to
despatch to ensure that goods arrive in
working order, offering free advice and
support over the phone and keeping
customers informed. Although our prices
are not always the cheapest we do
endeavour to offer consistently good
service and backup.
All prices are correct at copy date 10/1/94
(while stocks last), and are subject to
change without prior notice. All prices
include VAT but exclude delivery.
How to Pay
You can order by mail Cheques/Postal
Orders made payable to Ladbroke
Computing. Or give your credit card details
over the phone.
Delivery
Postal delivery is available on small items
under £40 (Normally £3, phone for details).
Add £7 for courier delivery. Next working
day delivery on mainland UK subject to
stock (£20 for Saturday delivery).
Open Mon-Sat 9,30am to 5,00pm.
Ladbroke Computing Ltd trading as
Ladbroke Computing International.
Fax:(0772)561071
Tel: 9.00am-5.30pm (5 Lines)
(@WW2) J©
Data\IPuls
Star SJ 144 £459
The Star SJ144 is a Colour/Mono
thermal wax transfer printer which
gives glossy colour output on
normal paper.
• 360 dpi resolution
• Emulates Epson LQ 860, IBM
Proprinter & NEC graphics
Colour Ribbon £6
Mono Ribbon £5
Star
Star LC1 00 Colour £149
Star LC24/1 00 Mono £169
StarJet SJ48 Bubblejet £210
SJ48 Sheet Feeder £55
SJ48 Ink Cartridge £19
Citizen
Citizen Swift 240 Colour £260
Citizen PRO Jet £209
Hewlett Packard
HP Deskjet 510 £309
HP Deskjet 310 £239
HP Deskjet portable £212
HP Deskjet 550 Colour £599
Hp DJ500 Colour ink cart £26
Lasers
Ricoh LP1 200 £699
Add £3 for cable. Add £7
for delivery
The Data Pulse Plus range of
drives features a full metal case with
integral PSU ideal as a monitor stand.
All Data Pulse Plus Drives now
come configured with industry
standard 50 way SCSI Centronics
sockets which allows connection of
the ICD LINK (no clock) for use on
the ST or a SCSI II cable for use on
the Falcon etc.
To ensure the highest possible
reliability, the drives are tested at
every stage of assembly by skilled
technicians.
All drives are ready to 'Plug in and
Go' when you receive them. When
you first boot up your hard drive you
will find a wealth of Public Domain
Utilities which have been selected by
our support staff.
All Data Pulse Plus Drives include
12 months warranty and free phone
advice and support by genuine Data
Pulse Plus users.
The low power consumption of
these Autoparking Autobooting
mechanisms means that they can
operate well within their safe
operational temperature ranges
without the need for fan cooling. This
coupled with the design of the case
results in probably the quietest Hard
Drive range available for the ST.
Floptical drives are a reliable, high
density, replacement media drive for
the ST or Falcon, Due to an optical
positioning system the Floptical drive
is capable of storing 21Mb of data on
one 3.5" Floptical disk. The drive can
also read/write 720K and 1.44Mb HD
disks.
Re-Write able Optical drives are a
"Data Pulse is astonishingly fast"-
Andrew Wright, ST User
new addition to the Datapulse range,
offering staggering density with hard
drive speed. Each 3.5" optical disk
stores 128Mb with access time of
30ms and a data transfer rate of
600K per second.
Data Pulse +52Mb
£150
Data Pulse +60Mb
£170
Data Pulse +1 70Mb
£280
Data Pulse +240Mb
£360
D/P +21 Mb Floptical
£330
D/P+1 28Mb Optical
£610
Please note all prices quoted are
for main drive unit only.
Add ICD
LINK for use with ST
or SCSI
cable for use with FALCON
ICD LINK (ST)
£89.99
SCSI Cable (Falcon)
£39.99
128Mb Optical disk
£35.00
21Mb Floptical Disk
£19.99
ICD PRO Utilities
£39.99
ffto
n itors/TV' s ^ glcon 030 ^ d $c0 nner
Dataview Mono ST £139.99
The Dataview Monochrome monitor
comes complete with our custom
designed adaptor. The adaptor
incorporates a small beeper and
also a 2.5mm output for better
sound reproduction. The monitor/
adaptor combination is fully
compatible with all ST high
resolution programmes and includes
a tilt/swivel stand.
Multisync Monitor
Microvitec 1440 £399.99
ST Switch Box £29.99
Falcon VGA adaptor £9.99
The Microvitec 1440 is a multisync
monitor compatible with both the
Atari ST and the Falcon. Utilising
the ST switch box it is possible to
display all three ST resolutions on
the same monitor. Also compatible
with screen blaster for the FALCON.
"Microvitec 1440.. .Highly
recommended "-Atari ST User
Dataview .28 SVGA £239.99
This high quality SVGA colour
monitor comes complete with Falcon
adaptor. The .28 dot pitch gives the
highest quality picture (Falcon will
only display 256 colours in high
resolutions).
ST-SVGA adaptor £19.99
Falcon-Composite £9.99
Falcon Scart £13.99
Falcon-ST Mon adaptor £9.99
SCART STE cable £9.99
SCART STFM cable £9.99
Scart TVs
Samsung CI5322X £249.99
The Samsung CI5322X is a 20" TV
with SCART input for high quality
display of computer output. It also
features remote control, on screen
displays, Auto tuning system
(requires SCART lead).
Samsung C13352X £179.99
The Samsung C13352X is a 14"
SCART input TV with remote control
and on-screen displays (requires
SCART lead).
• 16MHz 32 bit 68030 Central
Processor, 16MHz Blitter, 32MHz
56001 Digital Signal Processor
• 1.44Mb 3.5" Floppy, up to 14Mb
RAM. Displays 65536 colours from
262144 palette at 768x480
resolution
• 8 Channel 16 bit, high quality. Stereo
sound sampling
FALCON IMbRAMNoHD £499
FALCON 4Mb No HD £699
FALCON 4Mb 64Mb HD £799
FALCON 4Mb 1 27Mb HD £899
FALCON 4Mb 209Mb HD £999
1040 STE
£199.99
2Mb STE
£269.99
4Mb STE
£329.99
K ter»a* Drive
Zydec 3.5" External Floppy drive.
Includes own external power supply.
£59.99
Speed W>» se
High quality 300 dpi mouse with
microswitched buttons ST/AM.
£1 1 99
WrpetUP**"'*
Marpet upgrades for the ST are "plug in"
and require no soldering. They are
compatible with most motherboard
layouts and come with full fitting
instructions. These boards accept SIMM
boards and are upgradeable at a later
date. Please check that MMU and Shifter
are "socketed' before ordering.
Unpopulated Marpet Board £24.00
See SIMM prices below
Forget Me Clock II £13.99
512K SIMM'S £5.99
2MB SIMM'S £59.99
4MB SIMM'S £119.99
• 100,200,300,400 Dpi Resolution
• 1 letter mode, 3 photo modes
• 105mm scanning head
• Includes Cartridge through port with
switch box
• Supplied with Scanlite Accessory.
Compatible with any graphics package
which supports accessories.
• Allows scanning directly into
compatible packages, such as
Silhouette.
Hand Scanners-
Scanlite £99.99
Hand scanner supplied with Silhouette
V1.4 Autotracing vector package (mono
monitor only). £119.99
The Only ATARI
Authorised Repair
Centre in the UK
Our Atari trained technicians can
repair ST's at competitive rates. We can
arrange for fully insured, courier pickup
and return delivery of your machine to
ensure its safety. We even have a same
day service which will ensure your
machine is given priority and subject to
fault, completed the same day.
We offer a Quotation service for £1 5
for which we will examine your machine
and report back with an exact price for
repair. If you do not wish to go ahead
with the repairs then just pay the £15.
However if you do go ahead then the
charge is included in the minimum
charge.
Please note: The minimum charge
covers labour, any extra parts are
chargeable.
Minimum repair charge £35.25
Same day service £15.00
STFM(E) PSU £34.99
1Mb internal drive £39.99
TOS 2.06 + Switch STFM £65.00
Courier Pickup £11.00
Courier Return £7.00
m **" pc einU lators
240 PPQ Midi Standard file format
compatible. 100 tracks. Phrase
arrangement. Very easy to use.
£9.99
• Check configuration before
ordering
PC Speed STFM or STE (XT) £49.99
AT Speed STFM (8MHz) £139.99
Lots of CoverDisk
goodies for you this
month with the Tempus
2 text editor from
HiSoft and a great
"hacker" game
going by the curious
name of Naarjek
Tempus' desktop-type environment, complete
with icons, makes it a joy to use
Tempus replaces
the ST's less
with its own
custom version
anual incur
Record with Echo
1acro i. values i
Here are the E)
Record with Echo
i_walue=l£67
keyboard sho
Record without E
L<jalue=1667
keyboard sho
..... is incorrec
38 and 111, The
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n:\ClCHEWtEHnTStt
PR I MT .IKS ■ ' '
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Tempus 2
The complete and unrestricted text
editor from HiSoft. Fast, feature
packed and very powerful
THERE are many text editors available for the
ST but few have the speed and features which
Tempus 2 offers in such a small program.
Written completely in assembly language
and utilising GEM to the full, Tempus 2
provides both speed and ease of use. It works
both on colour or mono monitors and lets you
edit up to four files simultaneously.
The size of files being edited is limited only
by available memory and text lines can be 255
characters long. Full block editing features are
available to make copying and pasting of
selected sections of text very easy.
Other powerful features include macros,
definable function keys and the ability to
configure the keyboard.
Tempus 2 also includes its own custom file
selector to replace the less versatile one which
is offered by GEM.
The number of features which Tempus
By: HiSoft/CCD
Configuration: All STs - medium
or high resolution
Filenames: X.TEMPUS.TOS - Self-
extracting archive
Disk space required: 163,182 bytes
Start program with: TEMPUS2.PRG
offers are too numerous to list here which is
why the Tempus 2 manual runs to 1 24 pages,
but, to get a more detailed description of just
how good Tempus 2 is, turn to this month's
Disk Tutorial pages for a basic guide to some
of its features.
Tempus 2 reader offer
You can obtain the full 1 24-page manual
and master disk for $14.95 + £1 p&p
from HiSoft. For further information on
this special offer, turn to page 1 8.
Sound Lab
Excellent shareware sound sampler
software which can be used
with both ST Replay and
DataSound cartridges
SOUND Lab is split into two archived files
called X_SNDLBI.TOS, which is the documen-
tation, and X_SNDLB2.TOS, which contains
the program and data files.
You will need to copy them to their own
separate disk and extract them from there
first. You can then delete the archived files and
put all the remaining files onto one disk.
Sound Lab is a brilliant shareware sound
sampling program which offers lots of features
for creating and manipulating sound samples in
By: Damien M Jones
Configuration: All STs - medium or
high resolution
Filenames: X. SNDLB1 .TOS,
X SNDLB2.TQS - Seif-Bxtracting archives
Disk space required: 514,749 [disk 1],
70S, 11 a (disk SI
Start program with: SOUNDLAB.TOS
varying formats.
It works with ST Replay and DaataSound
cartridges, which are needed in order to record
samples from a sound source such as a hi-fi.
There are many functions available which will
allow you to manipulate and edit samples in
memory as well as record and play them.
Atari ST User February 1994
Albion
A versatile and powerful file
information utility to replace the
Show Info function available from
the STs desktop
MANY of you must be familiar with some of
the functions offered by the ST's desktop. One
in particular, called Show Information, which is
available from the File menu, allows you to
alter certain attributes of a file or folder as well
as view other file information such as size, date
and time created.
On a standard ST, you can set a files
attribute to either Read Only, or Read/Write,
and you can aiso rename the file from here too.
Those of you with later TOS versions, such
as 1.4 or above, have the added bonus of being
able to rename a folder, which is not possible
By: Carl J Hafner
Configuration: All STs - all resolutions
Filenames: X ALBION. TOS -
Self-extracting archive
Disk space required: 136,807 bytes
Start program with: ALBION. PRG
on STs with TOS 1. 2 or earlier.
However, the later TOS versions do support
other file attributes such as the Fastload and
Hidden attributes. The Fastload attribute, when
set, increases the speed at which the file is
loaded and run.
These special attributes are not alterable
from the Show Information function from the
desktop, not even in the latest TOS versions,
including MultlTOS.
As well as offering the features which the
Five to Five
A great utility for converting
sound sample files from one
format to another
THERE are many sound sampling packages
both for the ST and other computers and each
have their own file formats when saving sound
samples to disk.
In general, the data which represents the
actual sound recorded is stored much the
same way in many files, the problem with being
able to read a sample file in a program different
to the one that the file was saved in, lies in the
"header".
This header section of the file contains infor-
mation on such things as the speed (or
By: Harald Schinfield and Bernd Spellenberg
Configuration - All STs - medium
or high resolution
Filenames: X^535.TOS - Self-
extracting archive
Disk space required: 104,225 bytes
Start program with: 525E.PRG
frequency) at which the sample was recorded,
whether the sound data is 8 or 1 6-bit and the
length of the recorded sound data.
Each of the many sound sampler programs
has its own way of storing this header infor-
mation and some headers contain more infor-
mation than others.
Five to Five enables you to load a sound
sample file in one format and save it in a differ-
A great utility to speed up the
executing or loading of programs
GoGoST
or data
DO YOU have a drive with lots of programs
or utilities stored in their own folders? Do you
need a quick way to execute a specific
file without having to wade through
folder within nested folder to find it
and then run it? Well, GoGoST is just
the program you need.
This little gem (no pun intended,
honest) lets you assign programs or a
data file to a bank of buttons which,
when clicked on, will execute the
program assigned to it.
If a data file is assigned to a button
- say for instance your latest assembly source
code for a game - you can configure GoGoST
to load the appropriate program, such as
Devpac3, ready to edit the data file.
Essentially, GoGoST is a GEM based "menu"
system which displays the files specified by you,
ready for executing at the click of a button.
Although those of you with hard disks chock
full of folders and programs will find it of most
use, GoGoST can also be used on a floppy disk
drive system.
By; Mark Cawthon
Configuration: All STs - all resolutions
Filenames: XGOGOST.TOS - Self-
extracting archive
Disk space required: 159,178 bytes
Start program with: GOGOST. PRG
Set System Ti
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New Date: 21/12/93[ I
Hew Tine: 11:04:58 \
SET
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CANCEL
You can set the
current time and
date which is used by
the activity log
feature in GoGoST
Tine: 12:23:18
Date: 11/08/93
Size: 75485 botes
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Albion gives you much more information
and control over various aspects
of a file and its attributes
standard Show Information function does,
Albion allows access to these special attributes
and also includes some other useful features
too.
For more information on these features,
check out the documentation file which is
included with the program.
~""nr
Various Five to Five buttons apply changes to the
currently loaded sample file prior to converting it
ent format.
There are masses of PD disks for all
computers which contain lots of sound sample
files and with Five to Five, you can now
convert some of them to use in your own
favourite sampling package.
CoverDisk Hotline
Hotline number: 0625 859766,
2pm to 5pm every Wednesday.
If you have any other problems with the CoverDisk,
our technical editor, Darren Evans, will be available
available within the limes specified, and no advice
ill be a
we can help you. Send the faulty disk to:
PC Wise, Dowlais Top Business Park, Merthyr
TydHI, Mid Glamorgan CF48 2YY.
Simply click on
a empty button
and the Setup
Panel appears
where you can
assign a
program or
data file to the
specified button
BDBQ4ST Box Setup Panel
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this month's disk on single-sided disks should send
their original CoverDisk and a cheque for £1.50 -
payable to Atari ST User - to SSD Service, Atari ST
User, Europa House, Adlington Park, Macclesfield
SK10 4NP.
Atari ST User February 1994
Soma
A brilliant 3D puzzle game which
will test your acuity powers
to the limit
THIS game is based on the ancient Soma Cube
puzzle in which a cube is "cut" into different
shapes that you must re-assemble into a
complete cube.
The game is completely mouse driven and is
very easy to use. Simply choose one of the
seven cube pieces displayed at the top of the
screen and then click on the down arrow to
transfer it to the hexagon on the left.
You can then rotate the cube piece in 3D by
clicking on the small cube in the top left with
the mouse button. To position a piece, click on
By: Mark J Gallagher
Configuration: All ST/STEs - low resolution
Filenames: XSOMA.TOS - self-
extracting archive
Disk space required: 34,915 bytes
Start program with: SOMA. PR G
the direction arrows with the mouse button.
Once you are satisfied with the piece's
current position and orientation, click on the
arrow at the bottom of the screen to transfer
it to the right hexagon which is where the
cube is to be assembled.
Should you make a total cock-up, you can
remove the offending piece or pieces by
selecting its shape and clicking on the up
arrow.
Never Ending
Colouring Book
A colouring book program for
the young 'uns. Lots of fun
and very easy to use
THIS one is for the youngsters and is a simple
colouring book program which allows kids to
use the mouse to colour in a selection of ten
pre-drawn pictures.
There are also ten blank workscreens for
you to create your own pictures for the young-
ster to colour in.
The program also plays a different piece of
music every time the program is loaded, which
can be turned on or off as required.
A simple and
easy to use
mouse
interface
ensures the
youngster will
soon get to
grips with this
fun program
By: Tony Greenwood, Tony Gooding
and Mad Max
Configuration: All 5Ts - low resolution
Filenames: X COLOR. TOS - Self -extracting
archive
Disk space required: 548,301 bytes
Start program with: COLOUR. PRG
^ Ending
" Colouring
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Once a colour is chosen, simply
click on the paintbrush icon and begin
colouring in to your hearts content
Naarjek IV
Use your computer skills to hack into
a network controlled by Naarjek - an
artificial intelligence
THIS is a game in which you must access a
computer network and hack your way into the
heart of the system.
Those of you familiar with modems and
logging on to bulletin boards and other related
services will feel at home as the game simulates
being logged on to an online service.
Various menus are available, by pressing the
appropriate number or typing in the appropri-
ate word. There are also many hidden menus
and commands which you must find. for your-
self.
The first thing you should do is read the
By: Carl J Hafner
Configuration: Ail STs - medium resolution
Filenemes: X.NARJEK.LZH - Self-
extracting archive
Disk space required: 179,967 bytes
Start program with: NAARJEK4.PRG in
NAARJEK4 folder
NAARJEK4.TXT documentation file which has
some useful background information on
Naarjek Data systems.
There is not a great deal of information to
help you, instead, you must use all your logic
and intellect to hack the system.
It is quite a difficult game and some of us in
the office are completely stumped at how you
access your personal File area in the game.
Mind-taxing spatial awareness
is required if you are to
successfully complete a cube
Using the
CoverDisk
Write-protect your CoverDisk now by sliding the write-
protect tab so you can see through the hole at the top right
corner of the CoverDisk.
In order to fill the disk with as many programs as
possible, ST User employs disk compression techniques when
placing large programs on the CoverDisk,
These files are termed "archived files" and cannot be
directly executed from the CoverDisk, Archived files are identi-
fied by their names beginning with X_.
Any files that do not begin with X_ are actually folders
containing files which are not compressed.
These uncompressed files should also be copied to a blank
disk. Following are a series of step-by-step instructions for
using the CoverDisk.
Important: The ST User CoverDisk uses an extended
format of 10 sectors and 81 tracks to increase storage space.
This means you will not be able to copy the disk using the STs
built-in copying feature.
To make a backup of the CoverDisk, you will need a copy-
ing utility, such as FastCopy 3. Such utilities are available from
all good PD libraries.
Alternatively, you may use a formatting utility, to format a
disk to the same 10 sector. 82 track specification as the
CoverDisk and simply copy all files to this.
Using archived files
Note: When copying files, the ST refers to disk A and disk B in
its on-screen instructions. Disk A refers to the disk being
copied while disk B refers to the disk being copied to (usually a
pre-formatted blank disk).
1 . Format a disk.
2. Copy the required archived file to the formatted disk.
3. Run the copied archived file. It will now automatically
"extract" to its full size.
4. Once complete, delete the X_ filename as this is no longer
required. The formatted disk should now contain all the files
that were in the archive file.
Normal uncompressed files
1. Format a blank disk
2. Open the required folder and copy all files in the folder to
the formatted disk.
3. You can now immediately run the program/s as is.
Highlighting and dragging files and icons
1, Click once on the item, it should turn black (the item is now
highlighted),
2. If you keep the left mouse button held down on the item, a
dotted outline of the item appears and you may then
re-position it by moving the mouse to the required position
(effectively dragging the icon) and releasing the mouse button.
If you are new to the ST and did not understand some of
the terminology in the preceding steps. There now follow an
explanation of some basic techniques needed.
Formatting a disk
1 . Place the disk to be formatted in the drive.
2. Highlight the drive A icon.
3. Move mouse pointer up to the FILE menu at the top of the
screen and select FORMAT.
4. A box will appear. Click on OK.
5. Another box will appear. Ensure DOUBLE SIDED is selected
then click on OK, The disk is now being formatted.
Copying files to another disk
1 . Select the file to be copied by highlighting it and dragging it to
the diskB icon.
2. A box entitled COPY FILE(s) appears. Click on OK and
follow instructions on the screen exchanging disks as
requested.
Atari ST User February i994
Protext 6 - A Winning Performance
Some highlights of Protext 6
Styles
Styles let you make flexible
use of printer fonts and
effects. You can change a font
throughout a document with
a single operation.
Document Layout
An easy to use dialogue lets
you lay out your page
precisely as you want using
inches or cm for the page
length, margins and tabs.
Graphics
Graphic images may be
imported into a Protext
document. Supports IMG,
PCX, GIF and IFF. You can
select any resolution and
scale the image. Dot matrix,
inkjet and laser printers.
Printers
Protext's unrivalled
understanding of printers gives
you the highest quality printing
at the highest possible speed.
Using a printer's built in fonts
enables Protext to print pages in
seconds rather than the minutes
taken by some programs.
The list price of Protext 6 is £152.75 but you can order direct today
for just £99 inclusive. For the Atari ST and TT.
Phone us today and we will send you a usable demo version and a
full specification, absolutely free. Upgrade offers available - please
call us for the current price.
Protext is still the fastest
• Fastest at editing.
• Fastest at spell checking.
• Fastest at printing.
Protext still has the best
printer support
• Hundreds of printers supported
• PostScript driver included NEW
• Scalable font support NEW
• Colour printing NEW
• Automatic line spacing NEW
Protext still has the most
advanced features including:
• Styles NEW
• Graphics import NEW
• Spelling checker
• Thesaurus
• Hyphenation
• Document analysis
• Glossary NEW
O Footnotes
• Widows and orphans
• Index and contents
• Addition of numbers
• File sorting
• Mail merge
• Programming language
Protext is now easier
than ever to use
• Menus and dialogue boxes
• Interactive Help NEW
• Macro editor NEW
• Dictionary editor NEW
n
w?.
Arnor Ltd (STU), 611 Lincoln Road, Peterborough, PE1 3HA. Tel: 0733 68909 (24hr), Fax: 0733 67299
Tempus
four doc
If you haven't yet extracted
Tempus 2 from the
CoverDisk, do it now.
Those of you unfamiliar with
archived files should read the
disk pages and the section in this
tutorial on using the CoverDisk.
Text editors are some of the
most common, and most useful,
programs around. Not only can
they create documents for print-
ing out, they are also used by
many programmers as a means
for writing programs.
They differ from the many
word processors available in that they
take up very little memory and they do
not have a spelling checker or thesaurus.
Tempus 2 differs from other text
editors in that for such a small program
(a mere 70k), it offers many
features and functions usually
only found in word processors.
Features such as multiple document
editing, macros and extended editing
functions, cross reference generation
and file comparison are just a few of
those available.
Programmers in particular will also
find useful features which will aid editing
of program source data with Tempus's
ability to check for structured source
code. C programmers can check for
balanced { and } characters (a common
source of compiler errors) and Pascal
programmers can check for balanced
BEGIN and END statements.
There is even a built-in programmer's
calculator offering basic arithmetic func-
tions such as multiply and addition as
well as Boolean functions such as NOT,
OR, XOR and others, all in hex, decimal,
binary or octal bases.
Besides being very small in size,
Tempus 2 is also extremely fast. This is
because it's written entirely in assembler.
If you haven't already got Tempus 2
up and running, do so now by double
clicking on the TEMPUS2.PRG file.
"Goto Text Block Special Node Paraneters
tnpus 2 Version 2,6
:\CD-CHECK\EGMEWPUS\REflD.HE
he nanual incorrectly docatents the
I with Echo and the Record without
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shape is also selected, this shape will be
box will appear which encloses the shape,
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1acro Lvalues and keyboard shortcuts.
are the correct walues'
Record with Echo
i_«alue:166?8,
keyboard shortcut is Alt-Esc|
Record without Echo
F i.value:16672,
keyboard shortcut is Eontrol-Esc
"his is incorrectly documented on cages
6 and 111, The exanple on page 91
s correct,
uses its own desktop like display and allows up to
ument windows to be open at once
Block functions allow text to be selected, then copied to
other documents, or saved to disk
Kickin' up a
Get familiar with the basic features of this month's
CoverDisk giveaway, with our informative tutorial
A File Goto Text Block Special" Mode Parameters
DISK M1HTE
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Tempus includes a useful built-in calculator
for the programmers among you
The first thing you should
be presented with is Tempus's
custom file selector, which is a
vast improvement on the ST's
built-in one. As you can see,
unlike the STs file selector,
you can change drives simply
by clicking on the appropriate
drive boxes to the left.
Also, there are a selection
of buttons represent! ng
standard file extension
names, which can be
customised to your tastes.
At this point, locate the
text file READ.ME and load it
into Tempus by either double
clicking on the file name, or by clicking on
the file name once and clicking on the Load
button. The contents of the READ.ME
text file should now be
displayed in a window.
The window covers the entire
screen, but you can alter the
size and position of this window as
you see fit. Move the mouse
pointer to the bottom right-hand
corner box of the window.
Press the left-hand mouse
button and keep it held down.
Now, if you move the mouse,
you will see a dashed outline of
the window being drawn as
you move around.
Make the window as small as
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Text'
Various parameters allow you to switch on auto saving, alter
memory usage and configure the built-in screen saver
Tempus 2 also allows you to assign text strings to the ten
function keys
possible and release the left mouse
button. You should see the
window has been re-drawn to its
new, smaller size.
Next, move the mouse pointer
to the top horizontal bar of the
window, between the top right
and left-hand boxes. It's the
one where the path name and the
name of the file being edited is
displayed.
If you press the left mouse button
and keep it held down while
moving the mouse, you should be
able to re-position the window to
anywhere on screen. Move the
window so it is at the top right-hand
side of the screen.
As you can see, Tempus has its own
desktop-like display with icons repre-
senting the maximum of four files which
can be open at once, as well as other icons
for printer, trash and block functions.
Take a look at the four text page icons
and you will see that three of them are
unused, while one of them contains the
name READ.ME. This shows that the file
READ.ME is currently resident in memory.
Move the mouse pointer to the top
right box of the text window currently
open and click the left mouse button.
This will close the window.
As you can see, although the text
window is gone, the text page icon still
shows that the file READ.ME is still in
memory. This feature means you can
have up to four separate text
files in memory with each of
them assigned to their own icon.
If you wanted to print, clear
or save the READ.ME docu-
ment, you could do it by select-
ing the appropriate print, clear
or save command from the
menu at the top of the screen.
However, as you can see,
there are other icons on the
screen besides the text page
ones.
Ignoring the block icon for
now, you will see a disk, printer
Atari ST User February 1994
disk tutorial
Clear lex
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Using icons allows quick and intuitive printing,
Select File for
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saving or clearing of text
Tempus does away with the ST's limited file selector
and replaces it with its own custom version
Temp
and trashcan icon. If you wanted to clear
the READ. ME file from memory, you
can simply drag the READ. ME text
page icon to the trashcan icon.
Alternatively, if you wanted to print
out the READ. ME file, you would drag
the READ. ME icon over to the printer
icon. This icon method of doing things is
obviously much quicker than having to
access the menu and the appropriate
sub-menu function.
You can have all text files open at the
same time, each within its own
window. However, things will get a
little cluttered unless you are
running Tempus on a high resolution
monitor, or if you have a graphics
card which provides enhanced resolu-
tions.
This makes for some powerful multiple
document editing with the ability to cut
Using the CoverDisk - An insider's guide
and paste between each
__ B — ^^^ document. To show how
I ^Pv eas Y it is to copy text
I ^^^_ from one document to
U jB Ab^V another, create
^^■^ ^^^r another document.
Move the mouse
pointer to the File menu
and select Open file.
Locate the File name box and if it
contains any text, erase it by pressing
the Esc key.
Now type the word NEW into the
box and press Return. Tempus will
realise that this file does not exist and
will ask if you wish to create it. Select
the Yes box.
Next, open the READ. ME text file
(which should still be in memory) by
double clicking on the text page icon
marked READ. ME. Now position both
the NEW document and READ. ME
document windows so that you can see
both windows at once.
Click on the READ. ME document
window and position the cursor at the
top of the document using the mouse.
Now move the mouse pointer to the
block menu and select Set block start.
You should see the entire text in
the READ. ME document
window turn blue.
This marks the text for manip-
ulation using the block
commands. You will notice that
all the text has been selected
by default.
If you wanted to just select a
specific section of the text body,
you would move the cursor to
the end of the text section and
select Set block end from the
Block menu.
With the text selected, move
the mouse pointer to the empty NEW
document window and position the
cursor at the top of the document using
the mouse.
If you now move the mouse pointer
to the Block menu and select Copy with-
out markers, the text which is selected
in the previous window is copied to the
window at the current position of the
text cursor.
Whenever you mark any text using
the Set block commands, the specified
text is copied into a buffer. This buffer
has its own icon on Tempus's desktop
called (spookily enough) Block.
As with the text page icons represent-
ing actual documents, the contents of
the block buffer can be printed, saved or
cleared by dragging them to the
appropriate icons or by accessing the
menu functions.
As you can see, using Tempus is both
intuitive and fast. There are many, many
more features available which are
covered in a 124-page manual.
This manual is available from HiSoft
for the bargain price of L 1 4.95 + £ I p&p.
For information on how to order, turn
to page 1 8.
A quick discussion on the format of our CoverDisk will be of benefit
to the many newcomers to the ST who, according to the number of
calls we receive on our CoverDisk hotline, seem to be suffering from
common problems when trying to extract the CoverDisk files.
To give the maximum value for money we can, Atari ST User uses
self-extracting archived files before putting them on the CoverDisk.
This archiving process takes all the files which comprise a particular
software package and, using a special technique, reduces the size of
each file (known as compression). It then stores all files in one single
file, known as the archive file.
Because a program has been compressed and all files stored into a
single file, we can fit many more programs onto the CoverDisk than
we could have done normally.
For example, this month's collection of files, if stored on a disk
without being archived, would require almost 1.4Mb (1,377,513 bytes
to be exact) of disk space, which would mean a double disk issue with
a subsequent increase in the magazine price.
After archiving these files, we can reduce the space required to a
mere 662,225 bytes, which can fit onto a standard double sided ST
disk of 726,016 bytes.
The price of this drastic space saving is that any archived files on the
CoverDisk must first be extracted before you can use the programs.
This extraction process involves copying the required archived file
from the CoverDisk to another disk and then running the program from it.
Judging from the calls we receive on the CoverDisk hotline, many
newcomers are trying to run archived files directly from the
CoverDisk, which will most probably result in a Write error.
You should write protect the CoverDisk immediately after remov-
ing it from its plastic bag on the front of the mag, and then treat it
simply as the master disk for the stored programs on there. In fact,
you should ideally make a copy of the CoverDisk as backup and put
the original CoverDisk in a safe place.
To use a particular program on the CoverDisk, you must ideally
copy the related file {refer to the disk pages for the name of the
related file) to a blank formatted disk and then run it from there.
This will start the extraction process and all the files which are
stored in the archived file will be copied onto the disk along with the
archived file.
If you look at the description of the CoverDisk files in the disk
pages, you will notice a few changes over previous issues. In particular,
new information on the disk space required for an archived file to
successfully extract is present, allowing you to calculate whether you
can put more than one archived file on a disk to extract them.
As an example, The description of Tempus 2 in the disk pages tells
you that the disk space required for Tempus 2 to extract is 163,182. So,
this amount of space must be available on the disk you copy the file to.
Once copied you may then run the archived file, at which point the
extraction process will begin.
A series of asterisks (the * character) will appear, showing the
progress for each file. A successful extraction should end with the
message "Press any key".
Pressing any key returns you to the desktop. You will need to re-
read the disk with the archived file in order to see the new files which
have appeared, Press the Esc key or simply double click again on the
disk A: icon.
At this point, you can delete the archived file as it is no longer
required and is just taking up disk space. All CoverDisk archived files
begin with the letter X, as in X_TEMPUS.TOS, to make them easy to
spot amongst other files.
Then, simply refer to the disk pages for the name of the file which
starts the CoverDisk program, in the case of Tempus, this file is speci-
fied as TEMPUS2.PRG, and then run it.
Atari ST User February 1994
disk offer
iock special
Macro i_values a
Here are the cor I ft '• \
Recora
i_value=1667
keyboard sho
r 1
i
ORDER FORM
* Please send me...
D The Tempus 2 complete package at
j £14.95 plus £1 p&p
D Power BASIC at £10 plus £2 p&P
Send my order to...
Name(Mr/Mrs./Miss/Ms) .
Address
Postcode..
■ rostcoae Daytime phone
n Tick this box if you do not wish to receive promotional material
from other companies
|
■ I wish to pay by...
□ Cheque/postal order payable to HiSoft.
□ Credit card
Expiry date /_
card no. dodo oooo oooo not : j
he Tempus 2 complete package includes the 1 24
page manual, the master disk plus full registra-
tion details, and costs just £14.95 plus £1
postage and packing. This great offer also
includes full details of the new (1.2) version of
Tempus 2 which supports large screens, the TT
and the Falcon, together with a special offer for
upgrading to this new version.
Included with this
offer for the premier
programmer's editor is
an opportunity to pick
up Power BASIC, the
acclaimed compiler for
FirST BASIC which is
supplied with most STs.
The Power BASIC
— — — — ^ package allows you to turn you FirST
BASIC programs into super fast machine
code quickly and easily, and comes with
an extensive manual and registration
details for only £10 plus £2 postage and
packing.
Don't forget that FirST BASIC is not
required in order to use Power BASIC - it
is a standalone package in its own right,
making it even more fantastic value!
ATARI
ST USER
To order either of these great products
send this order form to HiSoft, The Old
School, Greenfield, Bedford, MK45 5DE.
This offer ends on March 31
Atari ST User February 1994
Analogic Computers (U.K.) Ltd
Unit 6. Ashwav Centre. Mon-Fri. 9am to 6.30pm bat 9am to 5p
Unit 6, Ashway Centre,
Elm Crescent,
Kingston-Upon-Thames, Surrey KT2 6HH
30pm Sat 9am to 5pm
TEL: 081-546-9575
FAX/TEL: 081-541-4671
ANALO
ANAL
ANA
EtEPAIR CE1NTXRE
' COMPUTERS • MONITORS
REPAIRS WITHOUT DIAGNOSTIC FEES
520/1 040 ST/STM/STF/STFM/STE
Monochrome, Colour Monitors excluding crt.lo.p.i
£59.95
£59.95
including
delivery back
by courier
service
We pick up computers for repairs and memory upgrades for Next Day delivery
to us by Courier Service for only £5.00 + VAT
MEMORY UPGRADES
MARPET DEVELOPMENTS OFFICIAL XTRA-RAM DELUXE INSTALLERS
520 STF/STFM to 1 Meg * £59.95
520 ST/STM/STF/STFM to 2.5 Meg £89.95
520ST/STM/STF/STFMto4Meg £139.95
520 STE to 1 Meg * £17.95
520 STE to 2 Meg * £59.95
520 STE to 4 Meg * £1 14.95
QUANTUM/MAXTOR MECHANISM WITH CACHE
Compatible with all ST/STF/STFM/STE/Mega ST/Mega STE/Falcon
Profile 50DC £249.95 Profile 170DC £369.95
Profile 120DC £319.95 Profile 240DC £479.95
• POA for Higher Range of Profile Series II and SCSI Bare Drive
SCSI BARE QUANTUM HARD DRIVES
50Mb £129.95
120 (Maxtor) Mb £199.95
170Mb £269.95
240Mb £349.95
STFM, STE, FALCON 030 COMPUTERS
1040 STE Family Curriculum Pack II
1040 STE Music Pack
Falcon 030 with or without Hard Drive
*V»V#* v 0>
STE TOS-SWITCHER
with Hardware Switch
Soldcrlcss DIY Kit
STE TOS SWITCHER.. .£29.95 STE TOS ROMS...C39.95
STE TOS SWITCHER + 2.06 ROMS...C69.95
4t#m STFM TOS-SWITCHER
•™M'* with Hardware Switch
Solderless DIY Kit
£79.95
including 2.06 ROMS
MONITORS
GMSTfiR
High Resolution Monochrome Monitor
£129.95
including VAT
excluding delivery
Philips CM8833 Mk II ..
..POA
ACCESSORIES and EMULATORS
STE/STFM Scart Lead £14.95 10 Blank Sony Discs £9.95
STE/STFM Lead to Ph!iipsGMB833 IIE14.95 io Blank Unbranded Disks £5.95
PhilipsCMM3DustCover.. £6.95 F , Me M m%
Twin Joystick/Mouse Port ext Lead..E5.95 „J~ . .,.„,
Squik Mouse £14.95 PCS P eed £5995
Dust Cover £4.95 * T Speed 5 £134.95
Mouse Mai £4.95 AT Speed C16 £199.95
POWER SUPPLIES I DISK DRIVES
STFM/STE Power Supplies (Service Exchange) £29.95 1 Meg 3.5 Internal Drive £44.95
,._,„ „„„„,- „ i, ... ..,_ „_,_ ,,,,„„,.,-,, „,„ „. High Density 3.5" Internal Drive £54.95
NEW STFM/STE Power supplies with ONE YEAR WARRANTY £49.96 High Density 3.5'' Internal Drive + Module £79.95
PRINTERS - HP510 £299.95 - HP550 Colour £549.95
• All prices include VAT and NEXT DAY DELIVERY subject to availability
• Fixed charge for repair does not include Disk Drive Replacement & Keyboard
• All prices subject to change without notice
• We reserve the right to refuse any ST Repair
• Please allow 5 working days for cheque clearance
PROTAR PROFILE SERIES II HARD DRIVES | U
m-rt PS
S3 (A
53 —
Dm Q2
O O*
.211
L.A.P.D
* PD disks: £1.50 each •
* HD Falcon disks £1.75*
* BUDGET RANGE PD DISKS ONLY £1 .00 *
* Licenceware disks from £2.50 to E5.00 *
* Commercial Games Software from only £2.99 *
* Same day service, quality virus free disks *
* PLEASE ADD 50PP&P ON ORDERS UNDER £5.00 *
r Overseas customers (outside Europe) please add 50p per disk *
FALCON SOFTWARE
A FULL RANGE OF SOFTWARE FOR THE ATARI FALCON COMPUTER IS NOW
A VAILABLE ON HD DISKS, INCLUDING:
HD 32 NETHACK: Huge fantasy role playing game. 2Mb+ (£1.75).
' '".1 POV RAY i RACE: he b'c-s: 'avlrace program around. Unzips to 3 x
HD disks. (£1.75).
HD.9 JPEG COLOUR PICTURES: True «*! II pictures [61.75 per disk],
HD.21 JAPAN: Pholo quality slide show of XGA pictures (2 disks/£3.50).
HD.19 HUMANS: Demo of the commercial game (2 disks/£3.50).
HD.2 UTILITIES: Includes programs to run ST&'STFM programs. {£1 .75).
HD.12 MAINLY MUSIC: Includes Desktracker. Pro-Tracker. Slar Player, etc.
(£1.75).
HD.13 MOREMUS.C hoiio^s '■i-hrtK. .■: ;i:r;-: :c di-:< recording system
(£175).
Our full range of software lor the ST/STE is currently undergoing
;ompatibillty testing tor the Falcon. It you are considering any title from our
ST range contact us and well let you know if It's compatible.
(Ask for our FREE Falcon catalogue)
GAMES
ARCADE
G.342 Ulopos: Two play relate and thrust 'Grav' type combat game.
G.333 SUPER PSYCHO KART: High speed platform game to rescue piglets (1Mb
SMf]
G.316 H-MEC 2: Sequel lo (he tremendously popular H-MEC. (1Mb STE or
Falcon).
G.314 ITS A MUG'S GAME: Fun one or two player boxing game.
G.302 REBOUND: A oat & Ball game requiring detftrminaBon, stamina and
patience!
G.293 H-MEC: The ultimate Pac-Man? (1 Mb, STE only)
G.292 CASTLE CAPERS: Superb platform arcade action across 10 screens.
(1Mb).
G.2B5 KUBES. Falling block game with a novel twisl.
G.286 ROCKFALL SPECIAL EDITION: Tunneling/diamond collecting puzzle
G.2B1 PSYCHO PIG: Platform shoot 'em up with Rambo-esque pig. (2 disks, £3),
aw.
G.279 OPERATION GARFIELD: Frantic "Operation Wolf type shoot 'em up
action. (STE).
G.26B MEGAL1NE: 1 Mb. Tron" ligtil cycles game for 1-4 players. (STE only)
G.250 CYBERNETICS: Good, challenging 'Defender' type arcade game. S/W.
G.80 TETRIS & PILE UP: Two very good versions of Ihe 'Tetris' arcade game.
G.171 HACMAN II; 1 megabyte version of Pacman, 100 new levels!
G.221 GRAV 2: Follow up ta highly praised 'Dibs' lype rotate and Ihrust arcade
G.1 10 LLAMATRON: 100 levels of fast arcade action with wicked sound FX.
(S/W).
G144 REVENGE OF THE MUTANT CAMELS: More last arcade action Jeff
Minter mayhem (S/W).
G.150 COLUMN- An .rrorot-Sivo rala! .e of ;he-Te!ns lu-nc ig block game.
(1Mb).
G.201 BLAT!: Tetris style three in a row, failing blocks with many aded features.
G.239 BLOX: An excellent variation on Ihe falling block, Tetris. theme.
FANTASY/ROLE PLAY
G.343 BLUDGEON: Solo fantasy adventure using the Bludgeon combat syslem
(SW)
G.28B DARKLYTE: 'Space Crusade' type droids wargame.
G.2E4 BIO-HAZARD: Two levels of brilliant Sci-fi 'Dungeonmaster/Captive' game, S/W.
G.197 DUNGEON LORD: 3 levels o! Dungeonmaster' type advenlure from ihe
States. 1 Mb.
G.262 ALIENS!: Space Marines v. Aliens strategy combat game.
G.198 OMEGA: A large and complex wilderness and dungeon exploration game.
1Mb.
G.1 15 MYSTIC WELL: Complete 'Dungeonmaster' style advenlure game.
G.30B WALLS OF ILLUSION: The ullimaie Dungeonmaster clone ... but it's in
German. A knowledge of ihe language is a dislinct advantage but not
compulsory.
PUZZLE
G.341 FISTFUL OF PROGRAMS: Hall a dozen assorted games from Dunces Cap
Software.
G.340 ZIGGY: The latest puzzle game from Nice Bytes. (S/W)
G.323 SPOT IT: An electronic version of ihe Spot the Difference puzzle.
G.316 BRAIN DAMAGE (SW): Trivia/puzzle game, 1 5 stages in 8 games.
G.315 SKULLS: Addictive up lo date reworking of Landmines/Minefield (1Mb
STE).
G.306 LOGIC PROBLEMS 11: Three more logic problems from Ben Weston.
G.310 DOMINOES: Playable demo version of a domino playing program.
G.31 1 JIGSAW: A computersed jigsaw puzzle. (1Mb).
G.294 ROLL-IT: Challenging German rolling-ball puzzle game. (1Mb).
G.280 COLOR CLASH: Ad venlu re/Maze game With puzzles by Animalsoft. SW.
G.269 QUIZMASTER: Multi-choice answer general knowledge quiz. (STE only).
G.258 GALACTIC FRUIT BOWL: Trivia Qui; meets the fruit machine (1Mb)
ADVENTURES
G.321 INVESTIGATION (2 disks/£3.00) Graphic adventure in the style of Sierra
On-Line.
G.200 ANARCHY ACADEMY: 3D adventure to blow up the school!
G.140 A NIGHT ON THE TOWN: An adventure with Ihe opportunity lo meet Ihe
girl; ol your dreams and ,,, well, the rest is up to yob.
G.222 GRANDED AND THE QUEST...: 3D graphic adventure by Ian Scott.
Share 1
1 1Mb.
G.303 GRANDAD AND THE SEARCH FOR THE SANDWICHES: Sequel lo
'Quest for the Vest' (1 Mb 2 disks/£3.00).
15 BLACK DAWN: The Earth is under threat (again) and it's Up to you to
G.99 DRAGON SLAYER: Can you. a lowly beggar, gain riches by slaying the
G.156 THE AWE CHASM; An adull adventure fealunng Snatch and Crunch (over
18'sonly).
G.167 SUSAN: An adult adventure (over 18's only].
G.91 QUEST FOR THE HOLY GRAIL: Pythonesque madcap humour.
G.163 ALICE: Take a (rip ihrough the looking glass.
G.202 UNNKULIAN UNDERWORLD: Highly rated large scale text fantasy
advenlure.
SrSATEGr-SOTfrEHS
G.344 CHESS-MATE: A Chess/Draughts playing program cum analysis lool.SAV.
G.332 CAESER: Strategy game set around Ihe Mediterranean in 200BC.
G.330 GNU CHESS: French chess playing program for all levels.
G.329 PEGASUS: A massive space strategy game. Seek out and colonise
planets. (lMb2disk5/£3.0O).
G.131 STAR TREK - THE GAME: Defeat the Kiingon threat to the galaxy. (1 Mb).
G.299 TERRAMOON: Shareware demo version ol a delailed 'STAR TREK' type
G.287 THE COURSE ANGLER: Angling simulation game. (1Mb).
G.237 CHAOS: Madcap game of battling wizards by Martin Brownlow (1Mb or
,5MB).
G.324 IMPERIAL CONQUEST: Complex ancient Mediterranean game of
conquest (S/W).
G.325 SOCCER MANAGEMENT: A complex simulation of soccer management
(S/W).
G.290 SOFTWARE PROJECTS: Manage a software house in this business sim.
G.217 THE MAZE: 3D advenlure game loosely based on 'The Crystal Maze'.
G.173 PENGUINS: Move your penguins around Ihe screen lemming' fashion.
G.10 VEGAS: Roulette, poker, blackjack and slots ... without the Nevada sand I
G.1 18 COMPANY: Business simulation thai puts you at Ihe head of a corporation.
G.124 SPECTRAL SORCERY: An excellent speilcasting game of battling wizards.
G.147 THE MANAGER: Manage a lop football learn through a lough season.
(SAW).
G.152 TAIPAN: A trading game sal around the Ohent. (1Mb).
LICENCEWARE/GAMES
BIO-HAZARD: Full version of the sci-fi 'Dungeonmaster 1 clone (1Mb,
£3.00).
STORM: Aliens meets Gauntlet for superb blasting action. A must have
for all arcade lans. (£3.00).
STORM: As above - now available lor 1Mb STFM's too! (£3.00).
HEARTBREAK: Highly addictive shape placing game. (£3.00).
LOGIC PROBLEMS III: Ben Weston's back with more challenging puzzles
(£3.00).
GRAND PRIX MANAGER: Grand Prix management simulation. Employ
drivers, mechanics, etc., test cars, then race in a full grand prix season! (2
disks/£4.00).
THE CURSE OF AZR1EL: Fantasy Iradmg.'adventure game. (2 dsks/£4.00).
CONQUEST: A 'God' game in the style ol 'Populous' (£3.00).
THEY SOLD A FEW: Three games from Ben Weston. Logic Problems,
Wild West Shoot Out and Clan, a Kingdom game. (£2.50).
NICE BYTES S1:Gridword, a word game 8 Rega, a tile flipping game
(£2.50).
DEMON: Fantasy game with 3D view, monsters, magic, leleporls, traps.
secret walls, etc. (£3.00).
POWER CUT: Arcade action from Powerfisl in a subterranean complex.
(£3.00).
ENERGETIX: Puzzle game from Nice Bytes. Save ihe nuclear reaclor
(£2.50).
DELUXE NOSTRAM (1Mb): Arcade platform aclion Ihrough 70 rooms.
(£3.00).
HUNCHY 1066: Arcade action wilh Ihe Hunchback, multi-levels, traps,
puzzles, elc. (£3,00).
MURDER ON THE ORION EXPRESS: Murder solver game set on an
interstellar cruiser. (£3.00).
DEAD OR ALIVE...?: Large, complex and challenging text advenlure.
(£3.00),
PI SQUARED: Challenging puzzle aame wilh increasing difficulty levels
(£3.00).
QUEST KNIGHT: Fantasy quest for Ihe Rose of Questoria. (£2.50).
OUTWORLD: Take control ol a space colony arcade'slralegy game.
(£2.50).
HOT DOG: Greyhound racing and betting game for 1 to 9 players.
(£2.50).
MARIO'S QUEST: Cute platform game 10 rescue Ihe princess. (£2.50).
FOOTBALL TACTICIAN 2
(1Mb) -£22.95
The ultimate football management game:
1 to 46 manager multi-user capability. 900 players accurately named with real
ages, apiiludes, skills, playing positions, caps and market valuations. 88 League
referees wilh true to life behaviour, built in intuilive team editor, intelligent
behaviour ol computer controlled sides, etc.. etc.
If you think you could survive in the preii'.s- isagi.a ordiv's:oi one [his program
will tesl you to Ihe limit!
DEMOS
D.375
D.371
D.373
D.372
D.374
D.367
BRUTAL TECHNO: Techno rap wilh dancing lemmings from Adrenalin.
TRAOU'N INT KET BET...: Stunning demo by Adrenalin. (2 disks^3.00 1Mb).
DREAMS: Dentro by Animal Mine oi Holland.
REALITY IS A LIE: Good first demo from Psychonomix. (1Mb).
BURNING ILLUSION: Sequentially running demo by DNT.
EXTREME RAGE: Recurves. S:'id: , .\bos, elc. Irom Anatomica of
Sv.'sderdMbSTE).
GROTESQUE: Psychedelic techno music demo. (1Mb, STE).
BIRDS OF PREY: Intro to Ihe commercial game thai never made it lo the
ST (1Mb STE).
DREAMZONE: Mega-demo from the Wild Boys (2 disks, £3.00).
COSMIC JAM: Good mulli-vecior demo from Imagina of Finland D/S.
CROSSBONES: STE demo (also known as RED SECTOR DEMO)
HARDCORE DANCEFLOOR: Sampled house music by The Wild Boys.
D/S
D.323 SLAM - HARDCORE DANCEFLOOR II - More house music from the Wild
Boys.
D.364: DIGITAL EXTAZY: Mega-demo byTTK.
D.322 MENTAL HANGOVER: Scoopex demo converted from Amiga. (STE).
0.306 TOM S JERRY: Animated cat and mouse cartoon sequence.
D.291 LIGHTNING: Mego-demo fror
D.236 ELECTRA: The biggest re-se
MUSIC
S.147 OMEGA II: CdiGdior c: hies (or DR. T's music software.
S.4 YAMAHA PSS: Patch editor and facility lo print lablalure m
5.144 EKSEQ 1: A rack, 240ppqn sequencer wilh many features.
5.145 OPTRONIX MUZAK: Rip and play music from other progra
S.8 NOISETRACKER: Soundtracker .mod player wilh eight sta
S.141 REAL TIME MIDI ANALYSER: Indicates MIDI e\
S.73 BAD STARS SAMPLES ItV. Over 80 .SPL samples for use with
Noisetracker.
S.95 HIGH FIDELITY DREAMS: 8 super pieces of music from Auro.
S.B7 IMAGE FACTORY DIGI-SYNTH 1: Ripped mods with lemmings' menu.
S.85 LONE WOLF SAMPLES: Voice and instrument samples for theTCB
S.70 MAD MAX CHIP MUSIC: 35 pieces of sound chip music from Mad Max.
S.7 ACCOMPANIAST: 16 Voice Henry Cosh sequencer (full instructions on
disk).
S.19
S.13
S.117 RIPPED MUSIC; Over 50 pieces of in lerrupl driven music.
S.54 ESION SOUNDTRACKER: Player tor .MOD files with ST 8 STE versions.
MOD FILES
S.41 AUDIO WIZARDRY HI; Apology. Imagination Flight, Outrun, Megamix,
S.56 MOD FILES: Axkold, Follow, Dreaming, JJacKson, Radio 8 The Edge,
S.90 HAYNES MODS «1: Legend. So Hard, Madmix, Pandora, Surburban C S
C(1Mb).
S.104 PRITCHETT MODS: Airwoli. Barock, Gaslight Jacknife, Legacy, Pyrax,
Relro.
S.132 SL MOD COMP #7: Benny Hill, Bruce. Humandd, IMF, Technotronic Insp, etc.
Many, many more available, see our catalogue for details
UTILITIES
BEFORE DAWN: Animated sc
HARD DISK UTILS: A cQiiectio": ci jiei^j programs lor -s:a o-s.k owners.
MENU-HACKER: Replace a picture in aimosl any n-ie.Tj.demo.'game/inlro.
ST TOOLS: An exhaustive collection of Alari ST utilities, including MiNT.
FASTCOPY 3: Excellent disk copier far cover disks.
TERADESK (1 Mb): Replacement desktop for the ST/STE. (1 Mb).
PREMIER PACKERS: 13 of the best program packers, plus a de-packer, D/S.
PICTURE HUNTER: Rips picture screens from other programs.
THE DUPLICATOR: High speed copier program.
PROBE ST: Handy utility. Grabs music/graphics. disWmemory editor, et
PICTURE CONVERTERS: Convert any formal to just about any other
format.
SAGROTAN: Super virus killer to protect your disk collection.
VAULT 8 TURTLE; Fasi hard disk back-up utiililies,
GEMINI: Good alternative desklop irom Germany. (1Mb).
ALICE: A GEM based text editor.
ART & GRAPHICS
4 GEMVIEW: Loao, view, convert just about any picture format (1Mb).
9 FRACTAL ENGINE 2.1; Mu Hi-functional fractal image generator.
5 ARTIST FREEHAND: Excellent art package, multiple screens. (£2.50).
2 ROYAL PAINT: Finnish art package with all the usual features.
B ELECTRIC IMAGE ART PACK: Drawing/painting program with full manual
8 MINI-PICS: Reduce images up to 64 to a screen! Ideal for cataloguing,
5 CRACK ART; Demo version of the excellent German art program,
9 PRINTMASTER PLUS: Loads of ad work for DTP (2 disks<E3.00).
S KOZMIC 4: Latesl version of stunning psychedelic pattern creator.
7 PAD V2.4: Comprehensive mono art program wilh English documents.
5 POLYFILM by Martin Brownlow. Make lilms from multiple 3D polygon
objects.
COMIC BOOK HEROES: 22 Neo pictures of your favourite superheroes.
2 ART OF DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: Superb collection ol pics from
Dragonlance. D/S.
ANl ST: Commercial quality animation program [once cost £60.00 lo buy!)
3 FULL SCREEN: Display your pictures in stunning lullscreen format! 1Mb. D/S.
4 FANTASY SLIDESHOW: Spectrum 512 pictures en fantasy Iheme (over
16'sonly).
7 PICTURE CONCEPT: Do weird and wonderful things with your pictures.
4 ATARI IMAGE MAKER: Exce r'-ien: ■,'.■,:.!■ digitai image processing.
3, L27, L28 TYPEWRITE CLIP ART: 4 disk sels of quality clip art In IMG
format. £10.00 per set wilh a free printed catalogue oi the art work on the
disks included.
PROGRAMMING
GFA BASIC V.2; Fu i ve.'scnol popular language with extensive tutorial.
(N.B: this disk is not P.D. - L.A.P.D. have permission lo distribute it).
SPRITE WORKS: New commands for games writers using GFA V3+ (2
disksi£7.00).
RAMWORLD 2: Three dimensional objeel creator and viewer program.
HEAT'N'SERVE SOZOBON: A Iriendlier sort of Sozobon.
SOZORON C: A complete C compiler with documenlation.
MENU-MAKER: A French program thai allows you to make your own
menus with music, sprite and scroliing message. Excellent.
JC MEGA MENU: Menu maker with smart fonts, music, program selector,
ZX SPECTRUM EMULATOR: Emulate the old Speccy on your STrSTE.
(In*)
68CG0 PROGRAMMING COURSE: 10 'How to do it' document files.
RECOGNISED WORLDWIDE FOR SERVICE, S
L.A.P.D., PO Box 2, Heanor, Derbys, DE75 7YP
Tel/Fax: 0773 605010/761944
Voice and Fax on both numbers
GFA EXPERT: Massive text tile and help routines for GFA-Basic 3.0. D/S.
STOS TUTORIAL: Helps make clear some of the STOS commands.
Needs STOS.
X8IOS MUSIC KIT: Include superb music in your own programs.
C ADVENTURE TOOL KIT: Write professional quality adventures in C.
STOS ADVENTURE CREATOR: Create your own text adventures wilh
SOURCE CODE
P.36 UNT SOURCE #1: Code from the Wild Boys. UNT. Pixel Twins, etc.
L23 GRAV 2 SOURCE: All the code for the top raied ST game. (£5.00).
L24 CHAOS SOURCE CODE: All the code tor the top rated ST game.
(E5.00).
L47 HUNCHY: Full source for the Hunchback' game on disk L.45. (E3.00).
MISCELLANEOUS
ROUTE FINDER: Route finding program for England. Wales and
Scotland.
AIR WARRIOR: Flight sim with World War II aircraft.
THE GARDENER: A special daiabase for gardening enthusiasts.
ADDRESS BOOK: Neat and easy to use database for names and
addresses. (£2.50).
CIRCUIT: Easy to use electrical circuit diagram producing program.
(£2.50).
RUNES: Mystical interpretation of the stones.
PONDS S WATERGARDENS: An 'how-lo-do-it' instruction disk.
TIP TOP HORSE: A working demo ot a horse race prediction program.
ROLE PLAY CREATOR: Create characters lor Traveller 1 and 'AD5D'.
DUNGEON DESIGNER: Design dungeon floor plans for AD&D and
similar games,
ZONK. Psychodelic pattern creator from Dave Henniker. (1Mb).
STITCH MATRIX; Pastern makjng program for knitting machines,
CROSSWORD CREATOR: Design your own puzzles.
NORTHERN 8 EQUATORIAL STAR ATLAS: Superb serious astronomy
program Sfifit.
THE BIBLE: King James authorised version, 4 D/S diSks/ES.OO
FORM-FINDER: Proven horse race analysis and prediction program
NEWSDISK: Construct your own newsletters and magazine disks.
ULTIMATE CHEAT GUIDE: 320- game cheats, plus hidden screens on
German tent to
20 dt
GERMAN TRANSLATORS: Three programs
English.
FILOFACT: Electronic Bote - diary, calendar, alarms, addresses, elc.
GENEALOGY: 2 programs for the lamily historians lo trace their
forebears.
CALENDAR: A calendar program thai allows you to attach events to
ADDRESS BOOK: Neat daiabase lor storing, sorting, elc. (£2.50).
YOUR SECOND ATARI ST MANUAL: Text files about your ST.
WORD PUZZLE: Stuck with word games' Then this disk may help.
EXTRA WORD LIST: 70.000 exlra words to use with disk M17.
STICKER III: An excellent label making program.
LEAGUE TABLE: Maintains league tables for soccer and similar sports.
ASSISTANT CHEF st: 42 mouth watenng recipes.
ASSISTANT CHEF P2: Anolher 125 tasty recipes (1Mb).
TRIP-A-TRON: A light synthesiser by Jeff Minter.
PICTURES FROM SPACE: Photographs ol the earth as seen Irom
BUSINESS
ACCOUNT-ABILITY: Fully featured accounts program. 10 accounts.
2.000 transactions!
INVOICE MASTER: Invoicing system for small businesses.
OPUS 2000: A superb spreadsheet program (1 Mb),
INVENTORY PRO: A stock control syslem.
COMPACT OFFICE MANAGER; Demo of accounting program for the
DOUBLE SENTRY: Impressive accounts package for Ihe small company,
(No VAT).
FAST BASE: A powerful and flexible data-base.
BANK ACCOUNT MANAGER: Maintain up lo 5 accounts for instant
BUSINESS LETTERS: 84 pre-written letters to ease the clerical burden.
□BASE ONE; Excellent GEM driven database Simple to set up and use.
FIRST WORD: Word processor that sef the standard for ofhers to follow.
EDUCATIONAL
GCSE STUDY AIDS: Help wilh Algebra. Trigonometry and Geometry.
PLANETARIUM: Excellent, easy to use, astonomy program.
WORLD WAR II: Home front study pack for Sec. school work, (3
diSka/£4,50).
HISTORY FILE: Investigate a historical murder in Scotland, (3
disks/£4,5Q).
GEOGRAPHY TUTOR - EUROPE: Facts and fioures on European
countries. SAV.
SPANISH VERB TUTOR: Heips you leam correct conjugation.
DEATH OF A PRESIDENT: Investigate the Kennedy assassination. (3
disks/£4.50).
FRANGLAIS 1 & 2; French language tutor programs.
FRANGLAIS 3 & 4; French language tutor programs.
ROMAN MYSTERY: Teaching programs on Roman times. (3
disks/£4.50).
RIP IT UP; Working demo of Highway Code tutor,
C.l.A, WORLD FACTBOOK: Facts and figures on countries. (4
disks/£6.0O),
WORKOUT; A genera! purpose learning and revision aW.
U.S.A. HISTORY: 20th century American history. (2 disks/£3.00).
KIDS EDUCATIONAL
SUPER SPELL: Teaching games lor the 4 lo 9 year old. (E2.50).
SUPER FUN: More teaching games for the 4 to 9 year old, (£2.50).
WITCHES. MICE & FAIRY TALES: Games for younger users.
NOAH'S ARK: Colled the animals, two by two - addictive for adults too!
ABOUT THE HOUSE: Excellent collection of programs for young
children.
KIDZ EDUCATIONAL: Alphabet, Math Test, Numerical -Go-Round S
Number Maze.
KIDZ DISK It: Colouring Book, Spell Pic. Word Pic and Flash Card.
KIDZ DISK *2: Dot to Dot. Keyboard Capers S Matching,
BODY SHOP; Graphic quiz-type human anatomy tutor.
PROFESSOR CLEVER: Maths tutor program for children aged 5 lo 1 1.
SJW.
SOLAR SYSTEM GEOGRAPHY: Effects ol the su
M.I05
MAGIC SPELLER: Computer speaks the word and challenges child to
M.16 KIDZ COMPILATION: Kid Graph, Gnd, Music, Notes, Piano. Publisher,
sketch and slory ... all on one disk!
M.31 SHIPWRECK. Save fi.; BtridtOT manner by answering maths questions.
M.97 COUNTING: Count Ihe objecls on the screen correctly to move the
M.71 WOLF & 7 KIDS: A point and dick fust adventure lor youngsters.
L37 SUPER FUN; Excellent teaching educational progrqm for youngsters.
(£2.50).
L20 SUPER SPELL: Teaching program for 4 to 9 year olds by Lexisofl.
(£2.50).
PR0.27 EARLY LEARNING MATHS 2: by Philip Rankin for 9-12 years (£2.75).
SHOESTRING EDUCATIONAL
SOFTWARE
ROBOT MATHS: Maths tutor for children aged 6+ (£2.95).
MOON LETTERS: Spelling game for ages 5* (£2.95).
PICTURE MIX: Jigsaw puzzle type game for ages 6+ (£2.95).
ROBOT WORDS: Hangman in a modem format (E2.S5).
ALPHABET MIX: Jigsaw puzzle game wilh large pieces for youngsters
(£2.95).
WORD RACE: Hangman type word guessing game with athletes. (£2.95).
ALL BLOCKED UP: Mathematical puzzles for the young, (£2.95).
DROP DOWN WORDS: Spelling/memory game tor youngsters (£2.95).
MATHS FUN: Malhs for children 4 lo 7 years (£2.95).
MINI-JUM8LE: Word puzzle game - get higher points for longer words.
(£2.95).
COMPILATION 111 ROBOT MATHS & MOON LETTERS from above on
one disk. (£3.95).
COMMUNICATIONS
TEDDYTERM: A superb mu Hi-function
VANTERM V 4; Excellent mu Hi -function con
FREEZE DRIED TERMINAL: Excellent com
facility.
ST KEEP: Room based BBS system. Requi
KM'TERM; Comms prog that can ad as a n
prag.
OSO-BASE: Database to
■e QSO information.
M.138 MORSE CODE TUTOR: Praclice and perfect your skills
BUDGIE U.K.
Full range
BU.122
BU.121
PR0.20
BU.50
BU.90
BU.89
of BUDGIE U.K. software available including the following:
WORLD CUP: Home countnes football management game (£2.75).
SUPER SCRAMBLE: Fast action arcade shoot 'em up. (£2.75).
FOOTBALL TACTICIAN 1: The original £19.95 version!! (£2.75),
FOOTBALL TACTICIAN: 1st Div. football game for up to 24 users!
(£2.75). (Money back offer on BU1 13 S BU1 19 if you upgrade lo the full)
GO-MOKU: Ancient Japanese board game against computer or Iriend.
(£2.75).
INTERNATIONAL CRICKET It Animated 3D game. 1Mb. (£2.75).
VIDEO MASTER: Excellent video titling program. (£2.75)
SPACE INVADERS: Classic arcade action by Robert Leong. (£2.75)
MATCH IT: Possibly Ihe mosl addictive game ever devised. (£2.75)
HORSE RACING SIM: Quality sim from the sale nng lo the track. (£2.75)
ELECTRONIC BANK STATEMENT: Computerise your accounts! (£2.75)
QUEST FOR GALAXIA: The 'Galaxians' return to your ST. (£2.75)
PACMAN ST: The definitive version by Robert Leong. (£2.75).
MAKE A BREAK: Snooker Based general knowledge quiz. (£2.75).
BANDIT: An electronic slot machine wilh holds, nudges elc. (£2.75),
TYCOON: Mineral exploration business game. (£2.75).
FROM LITTLE ACORNS: A delightful adventure set in Goblin country.
(£2.75).
DARK WARS: Role play adventure wilh a 3D view. (£2.75).
OUATRIS: A Tetris varianl with roiating cubes. (£2.75).
SPITTING FISH: Arcade game with educational slant. (£2.75).
POWERFIST LICENCEWARE
SNOTT 93: Save Ihe world platform arcade game. (£3.00).
EE'S LOST HIS MARBLES; Large humorous text adventure (£3,00).
SEVEN GALAXIES: Urge shool'em up with puzzles. (£3.00).
HUNCHY 1066: Re-working ol the 'Hunchback' arcade game. (£3.00).
GHALFA ONE: Arcade adion on an alien planet. (£3.00).
DE LUXE NOSTAM; Arcade adventure in a Dark Tower. (£3.00).
POWERCUT: Locate and deslroy arcade game. (£3.00).
LOCATION UNIVERSE 3D: 3D virtual reality adventure. (£3.00).
CASTLE CAPERS: Platform game around a haunted caslle. (£3.00).
LORD RAMSEY IN THE 25TH CENTURY: Arcade action on an alien
planet. (£3.00).
BUDGET PRICE DISKS -ONLY £1.00 each!
SUPER GALAXOID: Galaxians return.
STAR TREK: Save the Federation
FIGHTING SAIL: Naval battles
CYBERSNAKE: Top rated action game
ROLL'N'NUDGE: Fruit machine
CENTIPEDE: Good arcade conversion.
BLASTER: Fasl 'Defender 1 action
MR. DICE: Falling dice puzzle.
CONCENTRATION: Kids matching game.
ROCKFALL Boulderdash done.
LAZER BALL: Lazer reflection puzzle game.
COLOSSAL CAVE: The original adventure
FLY ROBIN; Cute shool 'em up
ASTEROIDS: A loving restoration
H AC MAN: Pacman action
8 BALL POOL: Bar game simulation
LAPQ GAME: Shoot em up
ROBOTZ: Superb arcade game.
FROGGY: The arcade classic
NOVA: Vertical shool em up,
HEARTBREAK
One of Ihe most compulsive and addictive games
ever released by L.A.P.D.
Simple in concept, but complex in play
(Just like all the best games!)
Place tiles onto a square grid to make lines of seven tiles.
But be prepared to be frustrated by odd shaped blocks of tiles,
and tiles with special properties.
Mouse controlled wilh sampled sound.
ONLY £3.00
(Order disk no. L.66)
PROTECT YOUR DISK COLLECTION
If a virus gets free in your disk collection il can do irreparable damage in
a very short lime. Don't let it happen to you. We have two programs to
help you protect yourself.
PROFESSIONAL VIHUS KILLER by Mike Mee £6.95. Identifies 529
different types of virus and bootsectors and could save you a lot of
heartache if it traps that virus before it breaks free.
ULTIMATE VIRUS KILLER by Richard Karsmakers £9.95. Identifies 70
virii types and over 650 other bootsectors. Repairs damaged or
destroyed BIOS parameters blocks.
TEACH YOURSELF MACHINE CODE
Learn to program like the professionals with ZZ Softs book and
companion disk INTRODUCING ATARI ST MACHINE CODE'. Be
led. step by step into the secrets of programming the ST in it's native
68000 assembly language. All you need lo get started right away.
ONLY £19.95.
EASY TEXT PLUS
Desk Top Publishing on a budget. An ideal introductory program to
DTP that will produce professional quality results. Full printed
instruction manual included.
ONLY £19.95
STE UPGRADES
x 256K simms boards for easy upgrading of a 520 STE to 1 Mb
ONLY £9.95
AUTHORS
L.A.P.D. are always on the look-out for new material to be included
in their comprehensive catalogue of P.O., shareware and
licenceware titles for the ST and the Falcon. If you have produced
anything that you consider worthy of release either as P.D.,
shareware or licenceware then get in touch to discuss it with us. We
can guarantee you a worldwide exposure for your program if it
makes the grade.
LICENCEWARE
L.A.P.D. proudly support the concept of Licenceware and pay top
rate royalties to their authors. Disks with an 'L' prefix in our advert
are Licenceware disks and as such a proportion of the price you pay
is passed on directly to the author. In the last quarter we paid almost
£650 to our authors. If you have produced any good software for the
ST, STE or Falcon and would like to know more about Licenceware
then please contact us.
HOW TO ORDER
Please list the disk number and title as a double check. You can
either post your order to the address above, telephone us at either of
the above numbers or with a credit card or fax your order and credit
card details to either number. Always include with your order details
of your computer, memory size etc.
Please make cheques and postal orders payable to L.A.P.D.
Sending cash through the post is not recommended.
FREE CATALOGUE
For a FREE copy of our latest, user friendly, catalogue disk just send a
blank disk and s.s.a.e. to the address above and we'll send you one by
return complete with a selection of quality PD. Alternatively send us
£1 ,00 and we'll send you the same catalogue and free programs on
one of our disks. (Please quote STU).
PRINTED CATALOGUE
Printed catalogue now available, listing hundreds of
PD/Shareware/Licenceware titles. Only £1 .00 including PSP or 50p
if ordered with disks.
Please state if you have a Falcon.
PEED AND EFFICIENCY - SIMPLY THE BEST S
Treat your ST to sugar,
spice and all things nice
with a stonking new
memory upgrade.
Andrew Wright reveals
what's available, for how
much, and where to
get it from
itting a memory upgrade is one of
the best things you can do for your-
self and your ST. After all, random
access memory or RAM is one of
the ST's main components - like the disk
drive, the CPU and all the other essential
chips and components, you can't do
anything at all without it.
All programs (and accessories) have to
be loaded into RAM before they can be
used and even more memory is required
for data files. For example, a paint
program will use around 32k for each
screen size picture it keeps in memory
hile an image processing package, work-
ing on large 24-bit colour images, will
need at least 500k to 1Mb for each one.
There's no getting away from it - some
programs just won't run if there isn't
enough RAM, so the more you have the
merrier you'll be.
In the early days of ST computing most
people plumped for 520s - after all, who
an *>a.rth could use more than 512k of
Spectrum owners at
puzzling out ways of
ading an STE
Existing RAM l Desired RAM Instructions
Add 2 x 256k chips in en
Remove 2 existing chips
replace with 2 x I Mb chips
Remove 4 existing chips api replace with 4 x I Mb chips
Remove 4 existing chips ^fMreplace with 2 x I Mb chips
Remove 4 existing chips and replace with 4 x I Mb chips
Add 2 x I Mb chips
Some of the more far-sighted users
went straight for the full megabyte but
the price differential in those days was
pretty horrific. Unfortunately it didn't
take long before bigger, more powerful
programs like Calamus started appearing
and it was then that an upgrade to a
whole megabyte started to look increas-
ingly tempting. When the first 1Mb only
gamesayjJ^pKhe writing was on the
hing away on 520s.
■w,*of the Iastl2 issues of
7 User, Jl^»er cent of the serious
software titles reviewed or mentioned
would run*^ any ST/STE. Sc~- _
cent needed I Mb while an ast
per cent needed 2Mb or more.
That doesn't include Falcon oniy sun-
ware, incidentally, which is much more
memory intensive. The picture for 520
gamers was a little rosier with only 40 per
cent needing the full megabyte.
Of course, this is a wide generalisation.
If you're happy doing your word process-
ing and running the occasional PD game
and leisure software, the extra memory
won't be a high priority. That doesn't
memory
mean you couldn't benefit from it - it
would allow you to load extra acces-
sories, more AUTO folder programs and
even try out a sizeable RAM disk.
On the other hand, if your sights are
set on the really important serious soft-
ware launched in the last year or so -
like MultiTOS, SpeedoGDOS and DA's
Vector - that 512k will be looking
awfully cramped.
Any gamer about to argue that 60 per
cent of games run perfectly well in a half
megabyte machine might well be delud-
ing themselves - if you want to play the
up-to-date favourites like Elite 2, Zool
and Legends of Valour, you'll need ewery
little byte you can get, and at least a meg.
FIDDLY
Opening up your ST isn't half as
daunting as you might think. Fiddly, yes,
dangerous, no. It does invalidate your
warranty, though, so only try it if you
know the warranty has expired or
you've decided nothing is going to go
wrong with it! In fact STs are extremely
reliable machines so the odds are on
your side.
The first thing to do is switch off the
machine and remove the power lead.
Now turn the ST upside down and
remove all the screws in the square.
Holding the case carefully, turn the ST
the right way up and take off the top
cover.
Unplug the keyboard and remove the
separate metal shields around the power
supply and disk drive. Now remove the
disk drive (attached by three screws
accessible from the underside), discon-
nect it and put it somewhere safe.
Unscrew and remove the power supply
board being careful not to touch any of
its components. Finally lift off the large
Questions and answers
What on earth are SIMMs and SIPs when they're at home?
A SIMM is a Single In-Line Memory Module while a SIP is a Single In-line Package. SIMMs and
SIPs are actually small circuit boards with eight or nine RAM chips on them and they differ
mainly in the method of connection which is a row of pads for SIMMs and a row of pins for
SIPs. Both can vary in size from 256k up to 4Mb.
What speed does my memory have to be?
RAM speed is measured in nanoseconds but it makes little or no difference whatsoever to your
Atari what speed they are as long as each pair of chips is the same speed. Far more important
is the price and as you pay a premium for faster 70ns or 80ns chips, go for the cheapest.
Can I have a 2.5Mb machine?
Yes, in certain circumstances. Upgrades like the Marpet XtraRAM allow you to use one bank of
2 x 1Mb and one bank of 2 x 256k RAM chips provided you don't have the 100109 MMU
variant.
For STEs it is also possible using a special software patch which is available from PD libraries.
Ask for the programs MEM25STE or SIMMFIX, both of which are supplied with Go Direct's
upgrades or via PD libraries like the ST Club.
metal shield by straightening the metal
fasteners that hold it to the board. You
should now be looking at a bare mother-
board. Impressive, isn't it?
A standard off-the-shelf 520 STE has
two 256k SIMM or SIP-style RAM chips
in four special slots more or less in the
centre of the motherboard (a I040STE
has four such chips while a 2Mb model
has two I Mb chips and a 4Mb model has
four).
The earlier models such as the ST,
STF and STFM had two banks of
eight smaller chips soldered to the ^~— ^
board if they were 520s and four
banks if they were 1040s.
These are usually sited
on the left hand side of
the motherboard, often
under the power supply.
STEs are far easier to upgrade as 99 per
cent of them will accept plug-in SIMMs
while the other one per cent take the
rather more awkward SIPs. If you have a
SIMM-style STE, you buy extra chips and
slot them in, bearing in mind that the
slots have to be used in pairs.
With a SIP-style STE, it is far better to
add special converters that plug into the
motherboard and in turn accept SIMMs
(they are sold with the Marpet STE
upgrades). If any of the chips are
soldered, send it to a specialist centre —
Marpet XtraRAM ST Deluxe
The Marpet XtraRAM ST Deluxe consists of three components -
a small 40mm by 30mm MMU adaptor, an L-shaped 54mm
by 33mm video shifter adaptor and a large 100mm by 75mm
board for the SIMM-style RAM chips. Two lengths of cable
are supplied for connecting the adaptors to the main memory
rd.
There are also a number of wire jumpers with spring loaded
clips which are used for disconnecting memory banks in some
circumstances.
The upgrade is adequately package and comes with a comprehensive
instruction manual that covers every conceivable combination
of chips and motherboard layouts. It isn't particularly easy to
follow but if you're in doubt, you'll find the answer somewhere
inside.
Marpet's XtraRAM Deluxe will upgrade any 520STFM, I040ST
F or FM and a Mega I or 2 ST. The beautyof the XtraRAM Deluxe is that
you can upgrade in steps if you want to, with I Mb, 2Mb or 4Mb configura-
tions though it makes little sense these days to go for the 1Mb option as
the two 256k SIMMs may well be wasted when you upgrade to
2 or 4Mb.
As industry standard SIMMs are used, you can buy the unpopulated
board and shop around for the RAM chips if necessary.
Fitting the upgrade is relatively easy, thanks to the comprehensive
instructions, but it can be awkward finding room for the large board
and if you have the rectangular MMU, some soldering will be required. A
RAM testing program is supplied on a disk so you can check that it all
works.
The XtraRAM Deluxe is the best selling board in the UK and comes
highly recommended, particularly if you're looking at a 2Mb upgrade -
who's to say you won't need more in a year's time?
Product: XtraRAM
Deluxe 2/4 Mb
Supplier: Marpet Developments, Meadowfield
Farm, Fellbeck, Pateley Bridge, Harrogate
HG4 ILU
Telephone: 0423 712600
Price: £179.99
Configuration: Any 520/ 1 040
STF/M or Mega ST
Atari ST User February 1994
you can do an awful lot of damage to the
motherboard in no time at all. Table I
shows you how to go about it.
STFMs are a different kettle of fish,
but the upgrades all work in much the
same way. The original memory on the
motherboard is bypassed completely and
a new memory bank installed.
This requires that the MMU or
memory management unit be modified
slightly and also that the new RAM be
connected to the video shifter chip. This
can be a somewhat more laborious
process than with an STE but at least the
benefits are the same!
In the centre of the motherboard is a
large silver metal box. If you gently
unfasten the lid, you'll see a rectangular
chip. This is the video shifter and it can
be socketed (removable) or surface
mounted (soldered to the board). It will
be marked either 259 1 4 or 707 1 3.
If the chip is socketed, so much the
better, but don't despair otherwise. It
just makes fitting a little more difficult as
a special adaptor has to be placed over
the chip. If you're in any doubt, send it
off to a specialist repair centre.
There are four different motherboard
layouts to contend with. Look for a large
square chip with the number C0259I2
or COI00I09 on it. This will be the
MMU.
If you can't find it, look for a rectangu-
lar chip with the number CO 1 01 601. If
you find one of them, mutter silently to
yourself- soldering is required and it's a
job for the experts.
If you find a square socketed MMU
(socketed chips are noticeably raised and
may have spring clips across) it could be
Where to go
arpet Developments are without doubt the
UK's leading Atari memory specialists and they
have appointed two agents to carry out upgrades,
Peak Electronics (0429 860821) for the north and
Analogic (081 546 9575) in the south.
All the company's products carry a two year
warranty and there is on-line telephone support if
needed.
In addition to Power Computing and Evesham
Micros other places to go include Go Direct (0480
891819) who will supply and fit Marpet XtraRAM
upgrades or their own proprietary brand based
on the Marpet system.
A free disk full of memory checking utilities is
included. System Solutions (081-693 3355) and
Ladbroke Computing (0772 203166) also supply
Marpet upgrades, the latter having recently
discontinued their own Aries brand.
in one of three positions, to the left of
the video shifter (Type I), to the right of
the video shifter next to another square
chip (Type 2) or in front of and very
close to the video shifter (Type 3).
These types of motherboard don't
normally cause problems unless the
video shifter is soldered.
If you find a square MMU that
is surface mounted - stuck solidly
to the motherboard with small silver
legs showing - it makes things a little
more awkward but by no means
impossible.
Whoever sold you the upgrade
should be able to provide a special
adaptor - certainly companies like
Marpet and Go Direct are well equipped
to help.
Power Computing
2/4Mb upgrades
Power Computing can supply their own
brand 2 and 4Mb upgrades which take a
slightly different approach to the others.
The upgrade consists of a 1 00mm by 63mm
L-shaped video shifter adaptors and a
smaller 40mm by 30mm MMU adaptors.
There are also a number of jump leads
with red spring loaded clips. The two
boards are linked by a single 200mm cable.
In contrast to the Evesham method, the
Power upgrade has the RAM configured as
512k chips - 4 for the 2Mb version and 8
for the 4Mb - on the video adaptors board
rather than the MMU adaptors.
This offers some advantages in that there
is no bulky board piggy-backed on the MMU
which can cause a bulge in the main shield-
ing (or necessitate a square being cut from
the shielding). On the other hand the video
The supplied utility can make most programs aware of the extra RAM -
Fastcopy Pro, for example, will now use the full 8Mb
Marpet XtraRAM STE
STE owners have it remarkably easy, of course, and about
90 per cent of you will be able to buy SIMMs off the
shelf and insert them into the appropriate slots.
However, Marpet supply dedicated STE upgrade packs comprising I,
2 or 4Mb upgrades. These consist of SIMM-style RAM boards with
special 96mm long converter strips for the ten per cent or so of STEs
that require SIP-style chips instead. The packs come with a double sided
A4 sheet of instructions.
Just how easy it is to fit depends on what you already have
in your STE and what you want to end up with - if you
have 2Mb already and want to upgrade to 4Mb, it couldn't be
easier as all you have to do is fit the two extra boards but
if you're upgrading a 1Mb STE to 4Mb, you'll have to remove
all four existing 256k boards and replace them with the four new 1Mb
ones.
If you're unsure about how to go about your STE upgrade, it makes
sense to look at the Marpet upgrade if only for your peace of mind and
the comprehensive instructions.
Supplier: Marpet Developments,
Meadowfield Farm, Fellbeck,
Pateley Bridge,
Harrogate HG4 ILU
Telephone: 0423 7 1 2600
Price: £79.99
Configuration: Any 520/l040/2Mb STE
Atari ST User February 1994
shifter compartment lid has to be cut away
to make room for the bulky Power board.
The difficulty with the Power upgrade is
that it only works with socketed video
shifter and MMU .chips - if you have the
surface mount variety, you won't be able to
do the job yourself. If you're fitting a 4Mb
upgrade (or a 2Mb upgrade to a 1Mb
machine) you will also need to cut some
resistors on the motherboard and hook
them to the RAM board using the supplied
jump leads.
Product: 2/4Mb RAM board
Supplier: Power Computing, Unit 8, Railton
Road, Woburn Road Industrial Estate,
Kempston, Beds MK42 7PN
Telephone: 0234 843388
Price:£99/£I69
Configuration: Any 520/1040 STF/M with
socketed chips
memory
Marpet XtraRAM Plus 8
Of course if you want to go one better than your neighbour, there's always the
option of the king of memory upgrades, the Marpet XtraRAM Plus 8. If you have
an STE or a Mega ST, you can add a special plug-in board that offers either 4 or
8Mb of extra RAM, on top of your machine's built-in RAM.
If you use your fingers to count you'd better get your socks off because you
can then have 4Mb of normal RAM and 8Mb of extra RAM, making a grand
total of 12Mb!
There are a few ground rules though, so don't get your credit card out yet.
You will need a 2 or 4Mb STE and one that uses SIMMs, rather than SIPs. You
will also have to have TOS 2.06 specially installed in ROM.
The unpopulated XtraRAM Plus 8 board costs a mere £59.99 and you can '
then shop around for industry standard SIMMs. Alternatively, Marpet's price
of £349.99 for the board and two 4Mb SIMMs isn't at all bad considering the
cost of memory at present.
The Plus 8 itself is a large L-shaped board
that contains its own separate MMU chip and
the sockets for the 4Mb SIMMs, and fits tidily
if a little awkwardly on top of the STE's CPU.
No soldering is required and the installa-
tion can be done quickly and easily by
mounting the Plus 8 board piggy-back fash- I
ion onto the CPU. There's a small support I
underneath to keep it attached and stable &
when the shielding is replaced. Note that *
no cutting is necessary despite the size of
the board.
The Plus 8 board fools the STE or
Mega ST into thinking it has TT style
extra RAM fitted. Many older programs J
will not be able to use this extra
memory, whatever you try and do to
them, as they weren't written to take advantage of it and
they will only be able to use the STE's main memory. After all, TOS can
only address 4Mb of RAM and the extra part is only accessed using some programming
trickery.
Programs that were written with the TT in mind will almost certainly be able to use the
extra room, even if it does become necessary to use the supplied utility that alters the program
flags and instructs it whether or not to use the extra RAM.
The list of programs includes all versions of Calamus,
Didot Professional, DA's Vector and image processing Product XtraRAM Plus 8
programs like Chagall. Supplier; Marpet Developments,
Some RAM disks will work too, including Meadowfield Farm, Fellbeck,
RAMBUFFR and RAMBABY, the PD accessory RAM Pateley Bridge, Harrogate HG4
disks, making it theoretically possible to set up an 8Mb mj
RAM disk for running programs and storing data! Telephone: 0423 7 1 2600
It is important to note that there are still two sepa- price: £59.99 unpopulated/£349.99
rate areas of RAM and the biggest single block will be w - ftn 8Mb on ^ (
8Mb or so depending on your configuration. Configuration: Any STE with TOS
Nonetheless if you're into DTP, graphics, image 2.06 and 2 or 4Mb RAM using
processing or CAD, this could be just the job for really SIMMs
banishing those out of memory blues.
Evesham Micros 1Mb upgrade
MS -
l Micros have been selling memory upgrades
for the ST for as long as I can remember.
The company currently sells solderless
upgrades to 1Mb and 2 or 2.5Mb for all
520ST models. The remarkably compact
board is supplied in a sturdy black
cardboard box with three photo-
:^>_^ copied pages of instruc
tions. The unit itself
a small green board some 86mm long and 39mm wide with three sets
of downward pointing pins for attachment to the MMU.
The memory chips (four 256k RAM chips in the case of the 1Mb
upgrade) are soldered to the upper surface of the board. A 240mm
cable connects the board to a video shifter adaptor 55mm long by
25mm wide.
The instructions are brief but effective and especially good for those
new to the upgrade game who have never opened up an ST before. On
the other hand, not all possibilities are covered (the rare rectangular
MMU) and in some circumstances, such as a soldered in MMU, you will
need to obtain additional (free) parts from Evesham before you
proceed.
Product: 520ST plug-in RAM upgrade
Supplier: Evesham Micros, Unit 9, St
Richards Road, Evesham WRI I 6TD
Telephone: 0386 765500
Price: £49.95
Configuration: Any 520STF/M
Atari ST User February 1994
It's the old, old problem - you've got
one type of computer at work, one
at home and a third at your mate's
house. If you've got kids, the chances
are there's even a fourth at school.
Generally speaking the IBM-compati-
ble PC is the prime choice for big
companies while the Apple Macintosh is
still the accepted standard in desktop
publishing and creative graphics.
In schools, the Acorn Archimedes is
coming out on top, gradually replacing
the old BBC micros, while at the home
computer end, the Amigas and Ataris are
still battling it out.
None of these five main computer
platforms have much in common other
than a screen and a keyboard. They
might be able to share many peripherals
like hard drives and printers but the
chips they're based on and the operating
systems that make them work are about
as different as they could possibly be.
Naturally this presents problems for
those who want to swap information
from one to another, be it a scanned
graphics file, a 30,000 word dissertation
or even a piece of music.
There are scores of reasons for trans-
ferring files - you might want to take a
long letter written on an ST at home and
print it at top quality on a laser at work,
or you might have access to a flatbed
scanner at the office on which you
want to scan full colour images for
viewing on your ST.
Happily there are a couple
of areas where most
computers agree — they
share the same 3 .5 in
floppy disk drives and
invariably have
R.S232 standard
serial ports. If you
want to swap stuff \
around, these are the I
places to look.
The logical way to
transfer files from one
computer to another is
to use the disk drive. \
Unfortunately most \
computers have their own
ways of formatting disks
so that they can store
information and not all of them
can read those formatted for different
machines.
The good news is that the world is
slowly starting to standardise on
one particular format, the MS-DOS disk
format used in IBM-compatible PCs.
The Apple Macintosh has the most
radically different disk format but with
the appropriate software (Apple File
Exchange, DOS Mounter) almost all
Macs can now be persuaded to read MS-
DOS disks.
The Archimedes has MS-DOS file
compatibility built in, although it uses a
different system by default, and the
Amiga can read and write MS-DOS disks
with special software like CrossDOS,
DOS-2-DOS or MessySID.
Luckily for most ST owners the ST's
TOS disk handling routines were based
largely on those in MS-DOS and the disk
formats are remarkably similar.
Unfortunately there is no such thing as
100 per cent compatibility as some PCs
will not read ST formatted disks under
any circumstances, even if formatted
using specialist software like Fastcopy
Pro, Diamond Formatter or Maxifile.
Interestingly the use of a PC emulator
doesn't appear to help much in my expe-
rience but it is hard to generalise
because there are so many different
makes of floppy disk drive fitted in STs
that one will work where another fails.
Disks formatted on a PC can be read
by an ST more reliably (with TOS 1.4 or
later) but quite often writing to the disk
on one machine can make it unreadable
Andrew Wright looks at ways of getting
your ST to talk to other computers
f^^J* ■ OSS
Press D fa Quit -
Serial transfer requires a comms program at each end
Atari ST User February 1994
Lapcat in action
feature
on the other and the whole process is
fraught with difficulty. Incidentally the
Falcon seems to have cured the problem
completely and now formats, reads and
writes disks usable in most PCs.
Apple File Exchange is another
bugbear as it rejects around a half of
disks formatted on an ST and the ST
doesn't appear to read anything format-
ted within AFE either.
Diamond Formatter will create AFE
compatible disks with a slightly higher
chance of success but if you are regularly
swapping information between STs and
Macs, it's worth investing in better Mac
software or perhaps the Spectre GCR
emulator for the ST.
If transfer via floppy disk doesn't work
- or of the files are simply too big to fit
on a floppy - cable transfer is the next
option. The traditional method is to use
serial link but of course the two comput-
ers have to be side by side, which is a
little awkward if you're trying to get
material to and from a computer at the
office.
If you really can't get the computers
into the same room, they can be
connected using modems but this means
you'll need a telephone connection and a
KEHRVsz m%m tiim.
Gamed Council of the realn, : .*Studied so long, sat in the Counci
1 HouseHEarly and late, debating to and fro»*How France and Fre
nchnen night be kept in aHe? L >*flnd had his Highness in his infanc
u l '*CroHned in Paris, in despite of foes7 L 4And shall these labour
s and those honours di elii-ShalLto '
lance, l*Your deed:
England, shaneful is tj
ng your fane,»*Blottin|
the characters of you|
France, UUsdolng all,
w, Hhat neans this pas
uch cirtunstance?UFor
ill, 1 .* GLOUCESTER, fly
oh it is inpossible He
rules the roast, UHath
the poor King Reignier
eanness of his purse
Text editors like EdHak will
remove unwanted carriage
returns and line feeds, as
well as search and replace
spurious characters
you ii neea a teiepnone connection ana a aak^ W
whole lot of new skills. Modem transfer ^^E^iVaV
w^
ain't for the faint hearted. For serial
transfer you'll need a null modem cable -
a standard serial cable with pins 2 and 3
swapped around - and a compatible
communications package on each
machine,
This means a comms programs that
will send and receive using the same
protocols, something which shouldn't be
difficult as most comms programs now
handle X, Y and Z modem.
For best results set the baud rate to
19,200 and ensure that other settings
such as data bits and parity are the same.
You may experience problems with
RTS/CTS flow control as the ST's end of
it is well and truly bugged.
This may require a patch program in
Sides:
Tracks;
Sectors; CT l~Tfl~l ["18~| I 2B I
Fornat type: | Twisted
Floppy ft
Floppy B
I Waiting
1 Hot Available
MS-DOS I
] I About I
] I Help I
Fornat Drive;
LD H LHHD
Diamond Format creates AFE and
DOS compatible disks - up to a point
the AUTO folder or simply turning
RTS/CTS off completely - at both ends.
In tests on the same files, an average
transfer rate of around 1,500 characters
(1.5k) a second was achieved using
STalker linked to a PC and the Z
modem protocol. It isn't ideal - a
1MB file will take about I I
minutes - but often it is the
only way.
There is another cable
option. Amor's Lapcat
software was designed
for transferring
information from
the Amstrad
NCI00 and
NC200 note-
books and it
uses a special
/ parallel cable to
do the deed.
Software is avail-
able for transferring
files from the
notebooks to PCs,
STs, Amigas and
Archimedes but the
same software can be
used to swap data
between any computer combi-
nation. Data transfer is much faster
(around 3000 cps or 3k a second)
but considerably less than the
maximum theoretical speed
of the parallel port which
is somewhere in the
region of 500k a second.
Three protocols are
supported including
simple transfer (no error checking and
therefore fastest), X modem and Y
modem (which supports the batch trans-
fer of more than one file at a time).
Unfortunately, the physical transfer of
files isn't the end of the matter. For
example, each ST word processor uses a
slightly different format for saving text,
so it's only natural to expect the same
from word processors on other comput-
ers. Word processors like Redacteur
and Protext will read word processor
files from PCs, including those from
Atari ST User February 1994
feature
Microsoft Word, WordPerfect and
Wordstar.
The best way to transfer text is to use
the Microsoft RTF format, if possible,
because it preserves formatting such as
bold, italic and underlined characters.
Programs like Redacteur and Protext
both support RTF transfer. Ascii is the
second best option as all computers
understand the Ascii character set, but
some characters won't be translated
correctly.
For instance, the pound sign is repre-
sented by the 156th character in the ST's
character table but on IBM PCs it is the
163rd, which is actually the letter u with
an acute accent on the ST. A text editor
with good search and replace facilities
will come into its own when you're
transferring text files.
The other common problem is line
and paragraph endings. STs and IBM PCs
insert both returns and line feeds to
mark the end of a line but the Apple
Macintosh uses only the carriage return
to signal a new line - if you edit a text
file originated a Mac, it will appear to be
all on one extremely long line!
In general though, as long as you give
some consideration to the format and
understand the minor differences, there
shouldn't be any real problems.
All zipped up
Occasionally you may need to transfer some-
thing like a scanned image that is just too big
to fit on a 720k floppy disk.
The best thing to do is compress the file
using one of the standard archiving systems
such as ZIP, L2H or ARC.
The best one to use is ZIP as the ST
version has a neat user interface and features
full compatibility with PKZIP, the PC stan-
dard. There is also a version of ZIP on all the
other major platforms.
You will need to ensure that you
are using the latest versions of the programs
and it is advisable to carry out a simple
test run first to check for incompati-
bilities.
LZH is a good alternative but there are
some incompatibilities, as early versions
won't work with files compressed using
subsequent versions.
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Path ; F:\DnTfi\IMnBES\TIFF\x.s
a^ |j; Extract files ^
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Use ZIP to
compress files
before transfer —
as long as you
have a similar
utility on the
target machine!
Sound and vision
In many ways, transferring graphics and sound files
is a lot easier than transferring text. Many painting,
drawing and DTP packages will import and export
graphics in formats that can be used on other
computers.
The ones to look for here are the Macpaint,
EPS and TIFF formats on the Mac, TIFF, EPS
and PCX formats on the PC and the IFF format
for the Amiga. If your target program won't
import them directly, it's unlikely to cause a prob-
lem as there are dozens of utilities that will do the
job.
Public domain catalogues are stuffed full of
conversion programs. A good choice for graphics
conversion is the shareware program GEMView, now up to v3.0 1 .
It supports GIF, IFF, Imagelab, TIFF, BMP, GEM, ART, Tiny,
Spectrum, Macpaint, Targa, JPEG, SUN, PAC, BMP, RLE, IMG/XIMG,
Paula is a shareware MOD file player
Vivid, ESM, PhotoCD, NEO, Degas and
Doodle format graphics files so you shouldn't
have much trouble converting your pictures!
You can save files in most formats, including
TIFF, Targa and GIF formats.
Sound is another up and coming area of file
exchange, particularly with the coming of the
Falcon and its built-in sampling and replay
facilities. The major formats include the Midi
file format, MID, the Amiga MOD format and
the Microsoft Windows WAV format.
Standard MID files can be played on any
machine that has the software to play them so
you can swap your MID files with musician
friends who happen to own PCs or Macs and there are several utilities
for converting the formats across to what has now become the standard
on the ST, the AVR sample format.
GEMView is an ideal picture converter
525 converts sound from Windows WAV format to the ST's AVR format
Atari ST User February 1994
'or users of /Vteiri SX & Falcon computers!
Musters Road - Nottingham - NG2 7PP
31; 0602-455250 - Fax: 0602-455305
Software
Address 1.6
n Astronomy Lab
"1 C-Font2
CalAssistant
3 CalAssistant SL
□ Clip Art Catalogues (2)
□ TW Clip Art Catalogue
□ TW Clip Art Set 1
□ TW Clip Art Set 2
TW Clip Art Set 3
"1 Easy Text Plus DTP
3 Easy Text Pro DTP
H EdHack
□ Fonlkit Plus 4
"I Fonty: Calamus Font Editor
D FontGDOS and Drivers
C12.95
C24.95
£ 9.95
£19.95
£29.95
£ 4.00
£ 2.95
£ 8.50
£ 8.50
£ 8.50
£19.75
£39.95
£14.95
£2495
£11.95
£ 2.95
Imagecopy 1 (Mono)
Imagecopy Colour
Key Master
Molgraph 2
Mouse Master
£ 9.95
£14,95
£ 6.95
£2495
£ 9.95
E 9.95
£ 9.95
£29.95
□ Mouse Tricks 2.15
□ Multiprint
□ PageAssistant
□ Redacteur3.15 £99.00
a Redacteur Lite £69 00
"1 Redacteur Junior £39.00
□ Trimfont £ 9.95
□ Ultimate Virus Killer £ 9 95
CI Universal Item Selector III £14.95
□ Warp 9 £24.95
O X-Debug £24.95
Second Time Around
20 x 3.5" DSDD disks £5.95
Following re- organisation of our PO catalogue w
have lots o' disks that have been used, re-
formatted and relabelled. A bargain!
What a picture
□ Imagecopy 2 £19.95
Thero is no better way to grab, view, convert and
print images on your ST or Falcon. Supports 9-
pin and 24-pin E:;son compatibles, Cannon BJ.
HP Desk/Laserjet mono and colour printers.
Newsletter setter
3 Fontpac+ Newsletter Set £14.95
Complete set ot fonts suitable for use with
Timeworks Publisher or any other program that
uses GEM bit-mapped fonts. Ideal for
newsletters, magaz.nes. reports, and booklets.
Requires high-res monitor and 300-dpi printer.
Fonts to 90
D Textstyle - launch price £14.95
Aroiher cracking program from Jeremy Hughes,
author of Imagecopy. Enter your text into
Textstyle. select a Calamus or GEM font, add text
eflects and justification, and the resulting picture
file can be imported into a whole range cf
packages Great for generating headlines for
wordprocessors like First Word Plus, Recacteu'
or Write CN; or use it with an art package sjch as
PixA". to nake posters, banners, greetings cards,
etc. Thousands of applications, RRP - £19.95
n Textstyle bundle £995
Order Textstyle at the same time as Imagecopy?
:- 3 *Ar* and save another £5.
Only the best
a View II
•The most usel
£1495
i- ST Fcma:
Fast and furious
f) Warp9v3.8 £29.95
At last, the Falcon enhanced version of our highly
acclaimed screen accelerator package, Warp 9.
New stocks!
n Your Second Manual £8.95
H dden away in an office in Denmark we have
ureart'ied what must be the last stocks of ihs
Classic ST book, If you feel as if your computer
knows more about computing than you do. then
you need this book! A brilliant introducto*y text try
beg nners or anyone new to Atari computers. TmS
s ne authorised printed version of Y2M: beware
PD and Shareware
"1 ST Club Cata.ogue Free
Probably the most comprehensive catalogue for
■ the ST. Details on hundreds of PD and
Sha'eware disks plus specifications of all ot tho
P'odjcls isted in this advert.
Disks cost E1.25ea; or just £1 for subscribers!
j .1 Falcon Club Catalogue Free
Details of our Falcon specific software.
Great fonts
"I Calamus Font Set £8.50
10 DS disks of PD and Shareware fonts ^n a box.
□ PageStream Font Set £8.50
10 DS d.sks of PD and Shareware fonts ■
Includes four disks of PostScript fonts.
D STC Fonts Catalogue £2.95
Catalogue and printouts of the fonts in cu'
professional quality range of Calamus fonts.
UiiMHaHHUMaaHMM^Mii^
Omikron
We are the UK distributor for this famous German
scftwaro oublisher. Our release schedule for the
Eng sh versions of their ST and Falcon software:
□ PixArt £34.95
Feature packed true colour
pixel painting program.
PixArt is very quick,
Dj V^£*J«^r supports digitizers and
graphic tablets, supports
all ST-TT and Falcon
scroen resolutions (monochrome to 16.7 Million
co'ojrs} and runs on all fully GEM-compatible
graphics cards.
Otner highlights: you can zoom in or out of the
p dure aid still use all the drawing tools. PixArt has
very creative block manipulation facilities that will be
cf great use to DTP users, PixArt is fully Falcon
comoatible. Wonderful, wonderful! is hovUhe
Gernan Atari magazine TOS summed up its
feelings about PixArt! Available: Now.
□ Freeway
£tba
A new gone-ation catabase that combines
. " . free-form text database structures with
Jj ■ traditional field structures. Accessible
fl B internal SQL-structure and fully Falcon
compatible. Available: February
□ Mortimer
£14.95
Memory resident multi-function utility that can be
called up from within any GEM or TOS application.
include: text editor,
printer spooler, keyboard macros,
virus guard, flexible RAM disk,
screen grabber, disk utilities such
as file copying and disk formatting,
and a pop-up pocket calculator.
Available: Now
□ Mortimer DeLuxe £34.95
Even more features: ten text editors, file search,
disk copier, better file selector, time scheduler with
alarm, and more... Fully compatible with ST, TT and
Falcon computers. Available: February
ST Applications
For the last three years we have been publishing
a mon'.hly magazine for ST users, Full of inform-
ative and authorative articles ST Applications is
an essential read for all Atari users who are
sencus about getting the best out of their
machine.
Con '. ta<e our word for ft, here are some
unsolicited comments from happy readers:
unfailingly interesting, superbly written NWF
really excellent value GFS
invaluable service tor ST users PS
.-:." b bX.itly impressed AS
no hesitation in renewing my subscription PPK
you can read it again and again RF
Org nals of these letters available for inspection
at cur offices.
Overseas subscriptions welcome, in fact 25% of our readership live outside the UK, Air Mail subscription
rates: Europe - £27; RoW - £37.
Risk Free. Susbcriptions to ST Applications are risk free. Write asking us to cancel your subscription and the
ful UOUSSd caiance cf your subscnption wl be refunded by return cf post- We have been pub ishmg sotware.
Falcon
Applications
Includes our mag-in-a-mag
, supplement on all things Falcon^
Subscriptions
□ 12-issues: £24.00
LI 3-issue trial: £5.00
□ Sample issue: £2.50
Dust Covers
These dust covers are manufactured from top
quality water resistant and tear proof nylon fabric
coated with tough polyurethane and treated with
an antistatic inhibitor. Unlike cheap PVC covers
they may be washed and ironed. Covers are grey
with blue piping.
Computer Covers
1 520STFM/1040STF/STE £5.45
l"l Falcon030 £5.45
Monitor Covers
□ 12" monitors £6.95
"1 14" monitors £6.95
Please specify monitor make and model:
Printer Covers
3 Dot Matrix Printers £5.95
□ Lasers/Deskjet E7.95
Flease specify printer make and model:
Books
n
Users' Guide to 1st Word
£ 6.95
n
S" 3D Graphics Programming
£22.95
3
Atari ST Basic To C
£18.45
n
ST Disk Drives: Inside And 0ut£18.95
n
ST Machine Language
£18.45
3
Atari ST Programmer's Guide £22.95
n
Desktop Publishing: The Book
£ 6.95
"i
rlroducing ST Machine Code £19.75
n
'.'idi and Sound Book lor ST
£17.25
~\
Musical Applications of the ST £ 5.95
n
Tech Ref Guide Atari ST Vol 2 £19.95
□
Tech Ref Guide Atari ST Vol 3 £22.95
-\
Guide to Timeworks DTP
£ 9.95
~i
Your First Basic
£14.95
D
C-Manship Complete Atari ST £14.94
1
ST Assembly Lang' Workshop
£14.95
Ordering
3 . . Tick the items you require and send this
advert a photocopy, or just a list on a sheet of
paper with your name and address, along with a
Cheque or Postal Order, to us at: ST Club, 7
Mjsters Road, Nottingham, NG1 1PS. Please allow
cc to 4 days for your goods to reach you. Sorry, we
cc net take credit card orders or telephone orders.
Overseas Orders Welcome - Please request a
copy of our Overseas Price List. Membership ■
You do not have to join or subscribe before you can
hjy f*om us, and you are not under any on-going
cb ganon to buy from us when you do subscribe.
£ . Cheque/PO enclosed.
From:
□ ...Delivery: £1 .25 for orders under £20
ft „,VAT included in all prices
ft ...Catalogues & Telephone support FREE
■MomBMMMinri*
When the Falcon was
announced, one feature
which had musicians drool-
ing was the prospect of
direct-to-disk recording without the
need for any additional hardware. The
Falcon's built-in DSP (Digital Signal
Processor) is capable of performing the
fast data transfers required to do this.
DigiTape from the German Tradelt
company, is the latest piece of d-t-d soft-
ware to appear - and more, such as
Musicom 2 and Cubase Audio, are on
the way.
The program is copy-protected by a
dongle which actually plugs into the
Falcon's DSP socket. This leaves the
cartridge port free for a music software
dongle. It requires a screen resolution of
600 x 400 and will run in mono or
colour. Colour is much better although if
you use more than 16 colours, it may
slow down performance.
Operation is based around a series of
windows which are selected from a GEM
menu bar. None of the windows has a
menu of its own - functions are selected
by clicking on icons within the window
which cause sub-menus to pop up. Only
one window can be active at a time.
CREATE A TAPE
Before starting, you have to create a
Tape by telling the program how many
tracks you want, the sampling rate and
how long the recording will be.
Something to check - there was a
problem with this process with some
versions of the Falcon's AHDI which
controls the hard disk. These should
have been sorted by now but do check
with CGS before ordering.
You can record up to 32 tracks
although you can only play back eight at
once - a system the program calls virtual
tracks. You can only record on two
tracks at a time. You can link tracks into
stereo pairs for editing.
You'll know that you need a large hard
disk when you realise that a four-minute
recording using four tracks will require
200Mb of disk.
DigiTape supports eight sample rates
-8.195,9.834, 12.292, 16.390, 19.668,
24.585, 32.780 and 49.170 kHz - which
are determined by the Falcon's hard-
ware. The most common d-t-d rates are
44. 1 kHz (used by CDs) and 48kHz (used
by DATs) and these will be available with
Tradelt's optional S/PDIF interface. This
will bypass the Falcon's internal circuitry
and offer higher quality recording. It will
The Multitrack
Recorder page is
where most of the
work is done. This
set up includes
Record and
Playback modules,
two EQs and a
reverb effect
Ian Waugh takes a first look at
Digitape a revolutionary tapeless
recording system for the Falcon
Direct to
5 | Tape Label
RUHMINtj.DBT
4
OO'ZG Bin,
32.7SB kHz
BURN IH |
•g&i
Waugii, ftansden 8 Uaugh
i «™o.
Percussion and Vox tracks, Sync to
Hotator on the ST for Midi backing
TF«C-*1l c OT -. E „r
UT CH*»o. >r!MO
.cancel]
STUCK 1 Ethnic percussion
1.12, S3 ;
1.12,91
i.ii, jj r
%1-
TUCK ! »o< i
TRCK 4
5,11,93
-;,-■
cost around £300.
The Multitrack window is where
recording takes place. It contains the
usual tape transport controls, a master
volume slider and nine channels or
module slots. These form the heart of
the DigiTape record and playback system
because you can insert different modules
into the slots depending on what you
want to do.
For example, there are Record and
Playback modules which do as you would
expect, plus Effect modules. Let's run
through a typical recording session.
Let's say you want to record a signal
in stereo. You'd assign two Record
modules to tracks one and two to
record the left and right signals. Using
the Input Monitor, you can check the
signal for volume. You can't overdrive
digital inputs like tape inputs
- the result is a very notice-
able break-up of the sound.
After recording you
can convert the Record
modules into playback
modules for checking.
When you're satisfied you
You can burn author
details into the file to
help protect against
any possible copyright
problems
The infamous
Karaoke
Playback
module will
attempt to
remove the
vocal line from
a recording
can replace them with Playback modules
proper.
You can plug Effects into the playback
chain (you can't apply effects during
recording). DigiTape has seven built-in
software effects - Short Delay, Long
Delay, Reverb (containing 12 reverb
types), ten-band graphic equaliser,
Vibrato, Flanger, and a Noise Gate with
Distortion - with the ability to load in
more from disk.
This makes the system quite open-
ended and if DigiTape catches on, addi-
tional effects modules may appear from
Tradelt or third-party programmers.
The effects are pretty good quality for
a software implementation. The EQ in
particular is very useful and can help
compensate for some of the shortcom-
ings of the Falcon's built-in audio
circuitry. You can adjust the amount of
signal sent to the FX with a volume send
|1 Atari ST User February 1994
The Edit window
lets you perform
block operations
on your recording
The Frequency
Analyser gives
you a graphical
representation of
the signal
arriving at the In
socket
control on the playback modules.
The nine module slots will probably be
enough for stereo or even four-track
recording, but if you want to use the
program to its full ability by playing back
eight tracks you may need extra slots.
These are supplied in a rather round-
about way by "hiding" existing modules
and inserting other modules on top of
them. It works but it's not very elegant.
Recording without the S/PDIF is from
the Falcon's Mic socket although you can
disk!
also record from the left and right
Master Output channels, allowing you to
bounce tracks together. Unlike audio
tape bounces, digital mixdowns avoid
tape noise so the results are much
cleaner.
One of the playback modules is called
Karaoke which tries to remove the vocal
line from a recording. To do this, the
recording must be in stereo and the
vocals must be in the middle of the
stereo field.
It then subtracts the right channels
from the left channel, leaving the music
in mono form on the left and sending the
vocals to the great phase crossover in
the sky.
The Track Edit window shows the
contents of one or two tracks in wave-
form format, similar to the display you
get with sample programs such as ST
Replay.
You can perform cut, copy, paste,
delete and insert functions on the tracks.
You can import and export AVR files
which provides compatibility with other
Atari sample programs and offers an easy
way of moving data around.
A rule above the edit window helps
sync the recording to a sequencer, say,
and DigiTape can transmit Midi clock and
Song Pointers.
DigiTape's edit system works fine. It's
rather like working with a large ST
sample program in that the edits you
make directly affect the recorded data.
However, the vast majority of
d-t-d systems use a system of cue
sheets which involves non-destructive
editing.
Cue sheets simply involves setting up
a list of sections of the recording - or
cues - which the program reads and
plays back in the cue sheet order. The
original recording is never altered which
means you can create as many mixes as
you wish and the original recording is
always intact.
DigiTape has several more interesting
features. The Effects Online Rack
processes incoming signals in real-time.
It's a little like a simplified version of the
Multitrack window although it only has
four slots and you can only install effects
modules.
The Tape Label window lets you enter
track names, track comments and other
details about the song - a little like a
notepad. However, you can opt to burn
this into the data which will help prove
ownership if you pen a number one hit
and someone rips it off, Not that that
sort of thing happens very often in the
music business, of course...
The Frequency Analyser produces a
graphic display of the frequencies arriving
at the input and doubles as a guitar
tuner!
BARELY ADEQUATE
The manual, alas, is a preliminary affair
although registered users are promised a
full version - whenever it may appear.
But that's not much use to someone
who has the program now and wants to
use it straight away. Instructions are brief
and barely adequate and there are no
illustrations.
The program isn't difficult to use but
you do need to read the manual in order
to grasp the basics. DigiTape is by no
means the only program with manual
problems but when you're paying this
sort of money for a piece of software I
think you have a right to good
documentation.
If DigiTape's asking price is a little
high, a cut down version called DigiTape
Lite (now where did they get that name
from?) is available for £149. It has fewer
tracks, fewer features and no edit
facilities.
Apart from the strange lack of cue
sheets, DigiTape could do with a few
more bells and whistles in the goodies
department. Functions such as time
stretching, fades, automated mixdown
and so on would make it much more
appealing.
This, in turn, would help the Falcon
become established more quickly as a
serious music and direct-to-disk record-
ing machine.
Having said that, even many so-called
pro systems (not running on the Falcon)
don't have all the facilities they should.
But the good news is, most of these facil-
ities can be added with a software
update.
CONVENIENT
One problem with current Falcon
d-t-d systems is that they are unable to
synchronise with a sequencer running
concurrently on the Falcon (with the
possible exception of Cubase Audio
which still has to be evaluated).
This has to be the most convenient
method of combining digital audio with
Midi backing tracks although with the
arrival of multi-tasking software this may
soon become a reality.
In any event, users who already have a
sequencer or who run one on an ST
could continue to use it, upgrade to a
Falcon and sync it to DigiTape.
With the promise of more software
updates to come, DigiTape has the
potential to become one of the premier
d-t-d systems for the Falcon although it
may be advisable to wait to see what
enhancements are made before taking
the plunge.
BOTTOM LINE
FEATURES
More features than D2D's
4T/FX direct-to -disk but
needs more to be a pro tool.
EASE OF USE
Easy to use once you know
how but not helped by the
manual.
VALUE FOR MONEY
Ouch! And if you want better
sound quality you'll have to
budget for the S/PDIF, too.
Excellent
Average
Bad
appalling
Excellent
fiverage '
Bad
fippalling
iputerBild, 831
iugh Road,
ndon 5W1B4TU
■ 081-679 7307
£499
■— 'nrge hard disk
Atari ST User February 1994
show
Yes, ifs true!
More super Atari shows
are coming your way
Following the resounding success of our
London shows we ventured out of the
big smoke into Birmingham and
Manchester- and met with a great
response from Atari users and supporters
there, too.
So now the show treks further north
still. Those of you living in the Newcastle
and Glasgow areas should look out for us
on March 19 and 20 respectively. Keep
your eyes peeled for more information in
next month's issue, when we will be able
to confirm these dates, the venues and
provide other up-to-date information.
Each show will be attended by leading
ST publishers and dealers offering the
very latest software and hardware and
some great bargains. We'll be there of
course - Atari ST User and ST Review
experts will be ready to answer your
technical queries.
We'll be bringing a host of back issues
at bargain prices, so you can catch up on
any features or CoverDisks you may have
missed. There'll be a special show
subscription offer available as well.
Remember to look out for more details
in next month's magazine.
JS FOR MORE INFORMATION
PHONE 0480 891819
Atari ST User February 1 994
utility
The Ultimate Virus Killer, better
known as UVK, has to be one of
the best supported pieces of soft-
ware on the Atari platform - not
only is it regularly updated as new and
more devious viruses are discovered, but
it gets faster and cleverer all the time.
Updates are generally released every
three months but this time, with the
jump to v6, the interface has been
completely revamped and, perhaps more
importantly, it has been redesigned to
allow it to run as a desk accessory or
from a command line as well as a normal
desktop program.
Ultimate Virus Killer 6 is supplied on a
single disk containing the program files
and the manual in Ascii format. It works
on any Atari including the ST/STE and
Mega ranges, the TT, the Stacey and,
naturally enough, the Falcon. Half a
UVL6-8.PI
get very few false alarms. One program
it failed to recognise was Imagecopy,
surprisingly enough, and the Outside
virtual memory manager made it rather
suspicious but it did recognise some
newer utilities like Dataiite, the hard disk
compression program.
The lengthy statistics might seem
rather daunting, not to mention mean-
ingless, until you look at how the
program works. The first and most obvi-
ous thing UVK does is to read the boot
sectors of floppy disks.
It checks to see whether the boot
sector contains executable code and
uses a virus probability factor algorithm
to assess whether it is likely to be a
virus or not.
It can also compare the boot sector it
has read with the 1 ,500 or so it
"knows". Nine times out of ten the user
version 6.66B
Written by Richard Karsnakers
Douglas Cowumcations
P.O. Box 119
Stockport
Cheshire SK2 SKI
England
*\
Seek'n'Destrog Viruses
|K 6.8 Information
lestore Disks
Sjjsten Status
Suit ta Desktop
j HELP [
SaT 1LJUH3
worked its way onto your software's orig-
inal disks, even if you have made backups.
You can happily kill viruses on the boot
sectors of ordinary disks but most
commercial games have their own special
boot sectors and it is becoming increas-
ingly common for serious software to
do the same.
If you do exterminate any lurking code,
the chances are you'll render the disk
totally unusable. UVK knows all about this
and recognises a good number of game
disk and demo disk boot sectors.
If you've done the damage, there's a
good chance that UVK will actually be able
to restore the correct boot sector and
get you back into action.
Ultimate Virus Killer is without a doubt
the best virus killer you can get and
despite a small increase, you get an awful
lot of peace of mind for your money.
The friendlier opening screen
Six is
the best
Andrew Wright cleans up with version
six of the Ultimate Virus Killer
megabyte of memory is all that is
required and the program works with
multitasking operating systems like
MultiTOS and Geneva. Being Falcon
compatible, it also recognises and deals
with high density disks.
The interface is a significant
improvement over previous versions
- windows can be moved on large
screens and the keyboard short-cuts
are far more intuitive.
For those new to the virus killing
game, there are some 40 context sensi-
tive help screens to guide you through
the process. Having UVK installed as a
desk accessory is a great advantage too
as you can call it at any time to check a
dodgy disk or a suspicious file.
Its recognition statistics are
positively awesome - it can
recognise almost 1,500 differ-
ent boot sectors and restore
some 700 of them if they get
damaged, 73 boot sector and
five link viruses, 40 anti-viruses,
six harmless file types and 137
"special applications".
The special applications are
system enhancements and add-
ons and range from proprietary
hard disk drivers to replace-
ment file selectors like Selectric
and memory resident utilities
like Mortimer. Some can look
like viruses as they hook into
the system but as UVK is so
good at recognising them, you
gets a message identifying the boot sector
but occasionally the boot sector isn't
recognised and the program offers the
option of immunising the boot sector or
simply doing nothing (it may after all be
an unrecognised game disk).
Other tricks include the ability to
recognise some viruses that are sitting in
memory waiting to pounce, repair
damaged BIOS parameter blocks and scan
whole drive partitions for link viruses
attached to any file.
The author claims that UVK is the only
virus killer that can recognise the new
Beilstein virus but thankfully I wasn't able
to test that claim. If you happen to have
been infected by a virus it may well have
Total UK (5T I TT1 : 4*X U
Toe of pftgsical Ml : $4MH (11
Botton of user R0JI : SMFffl ID
SIMS trap, tl wcttr: gHMOHM
BIBS trap 113 vector : SHHBTuT
aitS trap 114 wcttr: $EHI3t tl)
Resvettor
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Uf-rv
U*_kMt
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[$42ti:$MHN UT
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It's a special type of program that copies
itself into the computer's memory and
then onto the boot sector of floppy or
hard disks or attaches itself to existing files
(the so-called link virus). Some are more
or less harmless, others can seriously
damage your data by erasing files or lock-
ing up the system. One of the most
common viruses is the Ghost virus - it
doesn't do any real damage but if your
mouse .suddenly starts moving up the
screen when you want it to move down
and vice versa, there's a good chance
you've got it!
BOTTOM LINE
Simply the best protection for
your Atari
EASE OF USE
New interface is a big
improvement
VALUE FOR MONEY
Good value dispite a small
price rise
Good
Average
Bad
appalling
Excellent
average '
Bad
appalling
Excellent
fiverage
Bail
Appalling
UVK's extensive system check
G.O
Dougl — '
PO Box 119
Stockport SK2 GHW
061 456 95S7
£18.99 [upgrade £6.49],
£21.99 including next
four updat —
Atari ST User February 1994
YideoMaster has been available
for the ST for some time now.
Its ability to allow the user to
record video images in real-time
(complete with soundtrack) from any
video source, as well as full screen
colour images, has made it very popular.
Since HiSoft's acquisition of the pack-
age through their take-over of
Microdeal, VideoMaster has been
brought bang up to date with some
impressive improvements.
The first noticeable update is that two
versions are now available, one for
ST/STE computers and one specifically
for the Falcon, which is the one being
reviewed here.
VideoMaster Falcon (hereafter simply
referred to as VideoMaster) takes full
advantage of the enhanced graphics and
sound capabilities of the machine.
Unlike the original VideoMaster, which
only grabbed in 16 levels of grey, the
Falcon version ups this to a much more
respectable 64 grey levels. This ulti-
mately means higher quality and more
life-like colour images.
There are basically two ways to
capture images in VideoMaster. You can
record a sequence of images in real-time
(albeit in mono and only a quarter of a
screen in size), or you can capture full
screen, static colour images.
Grabbing a sequence of mono images
allows you to create some excellent
animations which can run at up to 25
frames per second for real smooth and
life-like motion.
Even more exciting is the fact that you
can also record the soundtrack from
your video in glorious 16-bit stereo at a
respectable 1 2.292kHz, thanks to
VideoMaster's built-in sound sampling
hardware.
Of course, the length of animation and
Colour trickery
First step in
creating a
colour picture
is to grab the
red image...
Then, a smat-
tering of the
final colour in
a cool shade of
blue and we're
almost ready...
sound is subject to the amount of
memory available in your Falcon. Ideally,
at least 4Mb will be needed for decent
length animations. With the 14Mb
memory upgrades available, even more
can be achieved.
Grabbing static full colour images is
where the best results are achieved in
terms of image quality. This is because
VideoMaster can use the high resolution
TrueColour mode for outstanding image
quality using 32,768 colours at a resolu-
tion of 640 x 400 on a broadcast moni-
tor, and 640 x 480 using a VGA monitor.
Alternatively, you can choose low
resolution at 320 x 200 (broadcast moni-
tor) or 320 x 240 (VGA). You can also
select to grab in 256 colours instead of
TrueColour which drastically reduces g
the size of the picture file and is
faster due to less data having to be
processed.
At this point it is worth noting that
the VideoMaster package is available
in a number of configurations. As well
as the two versions for Falcon and ST
computers, the Falcon version is also
available in two flavours.
The particular package on review
here is the VideoMaster Falcon RGB
package, which includes an extra box
of tricks called the Colourmaster
RGB splitter.
Alternatively, the VideoMaster
Falcon package is simply the
VideoMaster hardware and software
without the RGB splitter hardware, which
retails for £99.95.
The electronic RGB splitter makes life
much easier when creating colour grabs.
It is an extra cartridge which effectively
sits between the video source and the
VideoMaster cartridge.
When VideoMaster grabs a full screen
image from a video source, it actually
Darren Evans checks
out VideoMaster
Falcon RGB, a low
cost multimedia pack-
age allowing full colour
video digitising and
1 6-bit stereo sound
sampling at once
ra
Next, throw in
a little bit of
the same
image in a nice
shade of
green...
Finally, all
three images
are merged to
produce the
full
colour picture
Editing film sequences is very intuitive, with
the ability to cut and insert
individual frames
grabs three separate images in 64 shades
of red, green and blue. These three sepa-
rate images are then mixed within
VideoMaster to create a full colour image.
In the VideoMaster package without
the RGB splitter, you would have to
manually grab the three separate
red, green and blue images by
selecting the appropriate buttons
from the menu screen. Then you
would have to merge the three images to
get the full colour picture.
The RGB splitter totally automates and
considerably speeds up this process by
using electronic methods making the
whole thing much easier and more
convenient.
Setting up VideoMaster is extremely
easy. The hardware consists of an L-
shaped box which plugs into the Falcon's
cartridge port. This box also includes
controls for adjusting the brightness and
contrast of the incoming signal as well as
a phono socket for connecting your
video source (VCR or camera).
PICTURE CONTROL
The RGB splitter itself also has a
picture control for brightness and a
phono socket to connect your video
source to. It is important that you first
check that your video source has the
necessary video outputs for connecting
to external equipment.
Most VCRs and video cameras have a
phono Video Out socket (also known as
an RCA connector), but some may have
BNC or S-Video sockets, for which you
will need suitable adaptors to
connect them to the phono connec-
tions of the VideoMaster hardware.
These should be available from most
local hi-fi and video stores. With the
Atari ST User February 1994
multimedia
Talkin
ictures
This picture of ST User H.Q. was created with
VideoMaster cartridge, RGB splitter and
video source all connected, it is time to
run the VideoMaster software.
This is where all the fun begins. At the
click of a button, you can record anima-
tions, complete with sound, from any of
your favourite videos, or, you can
embarrass anyone within range using
your video camera.
I say embarrass because once you have
an image of a friend, you can then load the
image into HiSoft's True Paint art package
which comes free with VideoMaster. You
fc^5i r^v^i ri^n |p
As you can see, the high resolution colour
mode produces some tasty pictures
can use it to manipulate and edit any of
the images grabbed using VideoMaster -
an awesome combination.
As mentioned earlier, grabbing both
animations and still frames is simply a
matter of clicking on a button. With
animated sequences, each frame is stored
in memory and the editing section of the
software enables quick and intuitive edit-
ing of each separate frame.
The actual frames are shown as a
"film strip" type display which shows
five frames at once that can be
scrolled through using a slider bar and
scroll arrows.
The audio capabilities which
VideoMaster offers are equally as impres-
sive as the graphics.
Sound samples can be recorded in 16-
bit at a fixed speed of 1 2.292kHz, which is
not exactly the CD quality which the
Falcon is capable of, but then again, the
amount of memory which higher frequen-
cies would consume would make for
extremely short animations, even
VideoMaster Falcon RGB
with 14Mb.
An audio adaptor lead is supplied with
VideoMaster and is plugged into the
Falcon's microphone socket. The lead
then provides two phono sockets to allow
you to connect the audio output of the
video source to the Falcon.
The lead also "steps down" the signal
strength of an audio source coming from
an amplifier, which left alone can damage
the internal audio circuitry of the Falcon,
so don't go plugging your audio leads
directly into the computer!
When recording video images and
audio simultaneously, VideoMaster has a
preference screen which allows you to
alter the amount of memory assigned to
both the audio and video buffers.
GREAT IMAGES
Although VideoMaster can create great
looking images, the quality of such images
can be marred unless you have the right
video equipment and leads.
If grabbing full colour images from a
video, the VCR must have a good pause facility.
When in pause mode, some older videos
tend to have a jerky display with interfer-
ence lines streaking across the picture. This
will obviously make for a very poor quality
grab. Such a problem may be overcome by
adjusting the tracking of your video.
More modern videos which have digital
tracking features or digital freeze frame
are ideal in that they have very stable
images when paused.
Configure |
73 Ohn loads
\sO*n ran
I Red
Screen tints
Blue |
TzM
Cyan ] } Magenta ] 1 Vellow
I Grey j |~s"gpia 1
^^^^ Screen size:
| Full height | | Hide screen j
Match | i
aye 1
If you intend to record something onto
a videotape and grab from it, be sure to
record in short play (SP) mode, at least
on VCRs with twin speed settings.
Anything recorded in long play, when
paused, will probably lose the colour
giving you a black and white paused
image.
Another important fact to remember
is that the correct cables should be used
to connect your video source to the
VideoMaster cartridge.
Although a video lead is included, it is
not very long. Most people will probably
not have their VCR in close proximity to
their Falcon, so you may well end up
buying longer ones. If so, be sure to visit
your local dealer for good quality video
leads.
VideoMaster Falcon RGB is outstand-
ing value for money which can produce
equally outstanding animations and colour
images. The manual is very .well written
and presented, covering everything from
setting up the hardware to tips on how
to get the best images.
Hopefully, if sales of VideoMaster are
successful, HiSoft will contemplate doing
an upgrade that will digitise in 256 grey
levels for the ultimate in image quality.
BOTTOM LINE
FEATURES
Good
The VideoMaster software average
provides lots of functions for easy ? ad ...
j-*- i ■_ u. -j j j- Appalling
editing of both video and audio.
EASE OF USE
Simple and quick to set up with
excellent documentation
containing lots of tips on how to
get the best from the package.
VALUE FOR MONEY
Great quality images at an
affordable price, with the
powerful True Paint art
thrown in too. Awesome
VideoMaster even allows you to select the screen size
to accommodate those videos recorded in widescreen
"letterbox" format
Atari ST User February 1994 j
On original release DA's Vector
quickly established new stan-
dards for graphics software on
Atari computers: Indeed, I
have seen a few hardened PC illustrators
experienced in the use of the legendary
Corel Draw go pale at watching some of
the things it does.
Before looking at its latest incarnation,
DA's Vector Professional, it may there-
fore be useful to remind ourselves just
how revolutionary the original program
was.
DA's Vector was the first outline art
program on the ST/TT to use colour.
Full 24-bit TrueColour - or 16.7 million
colours - that is, more than the human
eye can ever hope to cope with.
Even the humblest ST could take
advantage of this, irrespective of its
monitor display, provided it had a colour
output device connected to it. Even
more impressively, to my mind, was the
way that DA's Vector crushed through
the barrier that had traditionally sepa-
rated vector from bit-image or pixel
graphics - any colour picture could now
be turned into the "fill pattern" of a
vector object and thus breathe natural
textures into the previously cold world
of computer object art.
And all these colours and textures -
PflsltECTOft File Edit Up-tF
The animation simulator allows you to
preview the individual frames in sequence
from within DA's Vector Pro, although at a
slowish pace. Here a photo is being faded in
from a black background, using the
Saturation filter
DA's big brother
plus the text in PostScript or Calamus
fonts - were available not only for static
illustrations but animated graphics as
well; the genesis of a completely new
approach to the creation of cartoon
films.
The success of the Atari TT (which
was never seriously marketed here by
Atari UK) certainly had a lot to do with
DA's Vector, widely acclaimed as the best outline art
package for Atari computers, has acquired a Professional
stable mate with much-enhanced capabilities. Something
for Giinter Minnerup to get animated about
JsU E E T M F i l e E di-T D ptio nT-
I |
/: "■_'■
The autotracer can now handle mono
images in the TIM format (conversion
from IMG is provided for) - it works
extremely well and is ideal for creating
masks and fill patterns in addition to
"ordinary" vector objects
this, as the TT's 68030, 32MHz process-
ing power and colour VGA monitor
provided a suitable platform for these
new developments.
By the same token, the graphics and
sound capabilities of the Falcon 030 were
clearly the reference point for the devel-
opment of DA's Vector Professional,
since most of the further enhancements
are targeted at the video production
market. Above all, DA's Vector Pro is
DA's Vector for animation artists.
The chief advantage of using vector
graphics for animation is that it is not
The Area Fill menu has acquired
several new capabilities, including
the definition of vector colour
graduations. The start and end
colour as well as the graduation
type are easily selected wtth
a few mouseclicks
necessary to edit all frames by hand: the
computer can do much of the work for
you.
For many purposes, only a few
keyframes need to be prepared by your-
self, and if you place these at suitable
intervals on the film strip, DA's Vector's
animator will calculate all the intermedi-
ate frames by interpolation.
The new, professional version takes
this a great deal further by implementing
a number of powerful features - the
camera is no longer fixed in position and
size but can be scaled up or down to
zoom in or out, and can follow a Bezier
curve path for all or part of the film.
Since the multicopy function and the
calculator are also available inside the
animation editor, even the generation of
keyframes can be much simplified by
letting the program multiply an object,
scale it, rotate it, cycle through colours
and fill patterns, or apply various mathe-
matical formulae for special distortion
and projection effects.
Movie compiler now also supports
sound tracks and the Player program is
' Atari ST User February 1994
graphics
capable of rendering sound samples in
AVR. format.
The automatic fill pattern change in
the multicopier is worth a special
mention. As fill patterns can be pictures
- mono, halftone or colour - the chang-
ing fill patterns generated by the multi-
copier can be individual frames of an
already existing animation, provided
these are available as single pictures with
sequentially numbered filenames.
They can be assigned as fill patterns to
objects of any shape, of course, and the
multicopier enables you to enlarge,
reduce, rotate or move them, making
them fly through space, perhaps.
The possibilities don't end there,
because the multicopier now also gives
access to the calculator, so that the
copies can be distorted in the process.
The calculator in the Professional
version features a special variable "I", to
which individual pictures numbers can be
assigned, thus giving very precise control
over the effect of such transformations.
Using all these new options to their
full potential requires some understand-
ing of the processes involved and consid-
erable practice if you are a newcomer to
animated graphics.
Another major enhancement, the filter
functions, are more intuitively under-
stood by those who may not aspire to
full-scale cartoon movies but are happy
to produce impressive slide shows,
perhaps for shop window or show
display.
The filters resemble the fill patterns
and the new filter dialogue is indeed very
similar to the fill pattern dialogue. Two
of the filter functions - Saturation and
Luminance - work by gradually trans-
forming the colours of a picture on one
layer of the film track, depending on the
filter picture chosen.
The Grizzle or Threshold filter fades
in the picture in randomly distributed
pixels, gradually getting denser until the
full picture is visible.
There are many other improvements
for those who use DA's Vector simply as
an extremely powerful vector colour
graphics tool without ever venturing into
the world of animation.
At the input end of things, I have
already mentioned the new ability to
import mono pictures into the auto-
tracer. These are now therefore also
available as fill patterns in a much
improved area fills editor. New icons
offer graduated vector fills with a choice
of algorithms, as well as so-called "blend-
ings".
These produce smooth transitions
between two or more subpaths in one
path object: a minimum of nine and a
maximum of 255 intermediate paths,
each representing a step in the transfor-
mation of, say, a triangle into a square.
The program will interpolate not only
the shape of the paths, but also their
colours.
One of the most versatile functions in
DA's Vector has always been the Bezier
grid transformations, allowing you to
project an object onto apparently 3D
Bezier grid shapes. Some such Bezier
grids are supplied with the program and
could always be modified and saved by
In this example from the animation
simulator, a photo is gradually
assembled from randomly
distributed pixels using the
Grizzle or Threshold filter
the user, but now you can maintain
several different Bezier grid libraries,
much as you always could with object
and path libraries.
Finally, on the output side, there is the
long awaited PostScript driver. It would
be nice indeed if there was also an
option to impoit Encapsulated PostScript
ciip art, but PostScript export is at least
one important step in the right direction
of greater file portability, especially for
those who need to employ output
bureaux for high-quality hard copy of
their artwork.
CLEAR IDENTITY
With the Professional version, DA's
Vector is at last carving out a clear iden-
tity for itself in relation to the superfi-
cially similar DA's Layout (aka Didot
Professional) from the same stable.
Both have very similar functions and
user interfaces, but while DA's Layout is
clearly aimed at the DTP market, DA's
Vector Pro is unambiguously targeted at
the video industry. The processor speed
even of 68030 computers such as the
Falcon and TT still imposes some restric-
tions: animations involving large colour
formats and most of the new filters, for
example, cannot be replayed inside the
computer at real time and need to be
recorded to video frame-by-frame.
Having quoted the upgrade manual, 1
must admit to being slightly puzzled by
the very existence of such a manual. One
of Digital Arts' proud achievements is
the Knowhow on-line manual system,
which loads as a desk accessory and
gives instant access to the relevant chap-
ter of the documentation from anywhere
within the program.
As it happens, I rather prefer a tradi-
tional handbook anyway, but since easy
upgradability was given as one of the
main reasons for the on-line system in
the first place, I am nonplussed to find
myself holding a laser-printed explana-
tion of the new functions and reading an
unamended on-line manual. This is irri-
tating, even if it does not distract from
the sheer power and quality of the soft-
ware itself.
BOTTOM LINE
Wall Disney would have
loved it!
EASE OF USE
As easy as animation
could be expected
to be.
VALUE FOR MONEY
Dirt cheap for the
professional, affordable
for the amateurs.
mod
Average
Bad
Appalling
Excellent
Average *
Bad
Appalling
Excellent
BJEE MBUBJ
Average *
Atari ST User February 1994
New flge PDL
TUB BEST FOR ST AND
FALCON 030!
THE ATARI FALCON
At New Age PDL we are supporting the new Falcon 030 101%.
We currently hove a huge stock of Falcon specific and enhanced
software all on High Density (1.44 meg) disks. We also fill these
disks to capacity wherever possible to give you the best possible
value for money. We now have a dedicated Falcon catalogue
containing loads of free software including utilities, demos,
music and a game. This catalogue is COMPLETELY FREE to new
customers with your first order - just ask for it.
ALL FALCON DISKS
£1.75 EACH
ONE FREE WITH
EVERY 4 BOUGHT!
j FALCON ART & GRAPHICS PROGRAMS
FALC 1 - POV Raytracer, fully zipped, expends to 3 meg of hard drive space!
FALC 3 ■ Bird/ 2 Animolion [4 meq+], very cute! Cyrel Palette Master demo.
FALC 8 ■ Fractal DSP, Fracial Zoomers, IFF, GIF, RAW & TGA viewers, Bit Camera
for altering raster images, Speed of Lighl 2.6, F-Paint, Chagall demo,
Slideshower.
FALC 16 ■ Lexicor demos (zipped): Chronos 1 .2, Pheonix 0.91 Prism Paint 1 .0.
FALC 37 - Fractal Playtime, Gemview 2.48, Delmpaint, Gix Gil, Binaris 2.0 + more!
FALC 95 - Geotech ■ landscape generator, Neochrome, Photo Studio demo + more!
FALC 98 - Chloe demo, Overlay demo 1 .03 (zipped), Pixart demo 1 .02.
FALC 1 02 - Roystorf demo 1.1, View XGA, IMG converter,
FALCON PICTURES & ANIMATIONS
FALC 31 ■ Temptation! The first disk of an EXCLUSIVE pack of JPEG pictures of
gorgeous girls. Excelled odrv c:ctj r ei ana lie rhree disk pack contains
no Less than ninety pictures! Yes 90! Disks 2 & 3 on FALC 32 & 33.
FALC 34 ■ The Chippendale Auditions. This lime a disk of gorgeous blokes!
FALC 38 ■ FU Animations: AS Lamp, Balloon, Bfflt, Glass, Hands, Bounce 2.
FALC 39 ■ FU Animations: A3DS, Apple, B Ball, Bugs Bunny, Chubb, Cone, Tigercat
FALC 85 ■ Startrek Pictures - JPEG's from all series.
FALC 87 ■ Boot Pictures in JPEG format. 27 pictures in oil.
FALC 88 ■ Dog Pictures in JPEG format. 43 pictures on oil varieties of dogs.
FALC 89 ■ Ammol Pictures - the first of five disks ol all sorts of mammals. (JPEGS).
FALC 99 ■ Car Pictures in JPEG format ■ Ferraris, Porsche's, Lambo's, Mercedes etc.
| FALCON DEMOS
FALC 6 - Cehtl '93 (RGB), 1 600x600, 3DTT. Paragon, Convention (RGB Superb!).
FALC 9 - Grotesque [Excellent!], Gourod, Speeder, Flasmo 30 & 50, Intel + morel
FALC 1 1 - Morphing demo - requires 2 Meg memory + hard drive space. + 3 more!
FALC 27 - Left Donit by Griff (RGB), EKO (RGB ■ Outstanding music!). Big Digi.
FALC 96 ■ When Dreams Become Reality (RGB), Warum (RGB), Inconvex (RGB),
FALC 97 ■ Fuji Roy animation - zipped requires 2 meg memory + hard drive space,
FALCON MUSIC RELATED PROGRAMS
FALC 7 ■ FoRtune for creating cites, Protracker 2, TCB Tracker, Desktracker 1 .1 1 ,
FALC 17 ■ Winrec 1 .35 ID2DJ, Wincut for editing Winrec samples, Hardchor (D2D).
FALC 29 ■ Startrek Cites for Fortune, Dame ■ Digital Audio Muilipayering Editor.
FALC 52 ■ System Audio Mcnager 1.1 - assign samples to events, Digitape 2 demo.
FALC 68 ■ 49 Wav samples for System Audio Manager.
FALC 73 - Another 41 Wav samples for System Audio Manager,
FALC 82 - Protracker 50Khz modules: Come & Get me, Pugsy, Tripout, Hardcore etc,
FALC 83 ■ As above: Freudian Dreams, Goodbye, Harry, Intro, Journal + 5 more.
FALC 84 - As above: Watch Your Bass Spin, Boom And She Cums, Fin + 4 more.
FALC 94 - Mjuzokk - Huge sound player program. Zipped, expands to 2 meg.
FALCON GAMES ~
FALC 21 - Humans Demo disk 1 . Zipped, expands to 3 Meg, Disk 2 on FALC 22,
FALC 35 • Nethock 3.1 .1 - 2 Meg memory+. Brilliant dungeons and dragons game,
FALC 1 03 - Oxyd (excellent!], Des Lasers et Des Hommes (3D shoot em up), Masters of
Chaos (Dungeon Master clone), Tron, Ishar Editor, Morio Kart demo.
FALC 1 04 - Spacola (RGB) - great space shoot em up, Madtris (RGB] - crazy TelrusJ,
vertical Mayhem (RGB) - nice version of Columns.
FALCON UTILITIES
FALC 2
THE ATARI ST/STE
New Age PDL in now in it's third year of business supplying top
quality ST/E software. We now have over 1500 disks of some of
the best PD, Shareware and Licenceware to suit all tastes. Just
look through our advert ot get an idea of the huge range that
we carry. Our disk based catalogue describes every single
program in detail, has a beginners section and is very easy to
use - it's also COMPLETELY FREE to new customers! Just ask for
it, there's no need to send any disks or SAE's. If you are an
existing customer and you would like an update then send back
your disk with a stamped SAE.
| HIGH RESOLUTION GAMES |
GAME 1 • Anduril, Eliminator Galaxy, Gilgolod, Mini Golf, Bubble, Runner, Space
War, Tetris, Play Thing, Once 'A King.
GAME 8 ■ Diamond (Bouloerdasn), Invaders, Macpan, Megaraids (Asteroids],
Minefield, Missile, Murray, Solitair, 5preng.
GAME 28 ■ Payramid, Escape, Sokoban, Cube World, Battleships.
GAME 30 ■ Air Traffic Control, Go-Board, Munchers, Pong, Puz Puz Trivia, Go-Up.
GAME 33 - Bob (Excellent breakout game), Super Breakout, Baseball.
GAME 34 - Pork 1 & 2 - spoof Zork type adventure games, Enchanted Realms.
GAME 38 - Net Hack v2.3, Scribble, Sherlock, Zarge, Checkers.
GAME 39 - Eamon Fantasy Role PLaying Kit, DD5T - dungeons and dragons.
GAME 50 * Jeopardy Clueso, Airline Manager, Locomotive, Bondwurm, Hextris,
GAME 76 - Hock & sloy Construction Set, Chess, Match-it, Crossword Editor 2.
GAME 112 * Risky Construction Set, Roulette, Yatsy, Backgammon, Poker, Pai Gow,
GAME 1 25 - Cyote Dave's Poker, Deena, Cribbage, Tectic, Fosl Poker.
GAME 1 68 • Nopolean - a 'Risk' style game of war and strategy.
COLOUR GAMES
GAME 11
GAME 68
GAME 78
GAME 81
GAME 83
GAME 94
GAME 104
GAME 105
GAME 117
GAME 121
GAME 122
GAME 123
GAME 128
GAME 131
GAME 132
GAME 135
GAME 136
GAME 139
GAME 143
GAME 147
GAME 148
GAME 150
GAME 151
GAME 153
GAME 154
GAME 155
GAME 157
GAME 158
GAME i62
GAME 163
GAME 164
GAME 165
GAME 166
GAME 169
GAME 170
GAME 171
GAME 172
GAME 173
GAME 174
GAME 177
GAME 178
GAME 179
GAME 180
GAME 181
A Question of Snooker, Pinball, Devestator, Roll n Nudge, Ranger.
Squidge Fruit Machine, Pin Game, Rocket Ball.
Popeyea - a pop music gome with on adult theme.
Battlescape, olox - brilliant variation on the Tetris theme.
Grandad & the Holey Vest - superb animated adventure. 1 Meg+.
Hacman 2 (1 Meg+), Dungeons.. Wheel of Money 3.
Blot! - A very nice version of Tetris. STE ONLY.
Infiltration ■ 3D game, Ozone, Atomik Robokid. Great shoot 'em up.
Fast Freddy - lovely platform game with superb graphics.
Darklyte ■ great Isometric 3D war/strategy game similar to Hero Quest.
Last Arcadian - fly around + blast everything. Hoverjet Simulator Meg+.
Top Trainer (horses), Anarchy Academy - wreak havoc in school. Boing,
Dungeon Lord - good Dungeon Master Clone. Arch Moge-shoot em up.
Gloss Buttock of Thorg - save the land from the evil buttock! - 1 Meg+.
Psycho Pig - two disk platform game, very cute, £3,00.
Grey Matter - difficult brain teaser from DCS, Splot! Picaray, Galodic.
Choos 1 /2 Meg version - classic spectrum game converted. 1 meg on
GAME 146
Grandad II - the sequel to Game 83, comes on 2 disks 1 Meg+. £3.00.
Brain Damage - the biggest, most difficult brain teaser yet form DCS.
Freaked Out - nice puzzle game. Shift-it ( 1 Meg] - another good puzzle.
Operation Blue Sunrise 3 - massive STAC adventure game.! Meg+.
Course Angler 1 .02 - go tackle fishing on your ST!
Sim Pig! ■ a brilliant pig farm simulation! Like Sim City & Sim Earth,
Wormhole - nice vertically scrolling shoot em up with slick graphics.
Midi Zop - multi-player asteroids, A Highly Suspicious Aquarium.
Three Realms of Suspicion - STAC adventure. Spaceball - like Ice
Hockey.
B17 - bomb the buildings, F-16 - very good flight gome, 8 missions.
Viking III - shoot em up/strategy gome. Demon - but like Xenon.
Baby Mugluck - platforms + loaders, Entombed - more platforms!
Theme Park Mystery, Combat - kill everything!, Summoria.
The Obscure Naturalist - STAC adventure with lovely graphics. 1 Meg.
Quiz Master - quiz that actually has answerable questions! SIE only.
Nirvana - platforms, Pure Logic, Moze, Chain Reaction - columns.
Megaiine - (our player TronAight Cycles, Insectoid, Cops n Robbers.
Magic Tomb ( 1 meg+), Hysulo - great new 3D CK gome
Oxyd (1 meg+] - superb puzzle/strategy game Duck Dash
Boffin Brothers - the best Trivia gome yet! Excellent presentation!
Loboty Invaders - uses hardware scrolling, stereo sound. STE only
Bludgeon 1,1a- fantasy role playing with full colour graphics
Fatemasier - superb arcade adventure/ dungeons and dragons
Argon, Out, Codenome Bomb, Pyramid, Disk Hunt, Sirtetjurbo, War
Jeep, Plumber, Pi«e-, F.a.iei Man Lbaol, Ypsilon - 1 3 games!
Asteroid, Bang 3. Battle, Bellum Quiz, Blaster, Chunks, Europe
Explode, Fuzzball, Gems, Invaders, Megaoids, Micro, Odopod, Othello,
Pec Man, Plant, Rockfall, Tanx Tennis, Wall Street, Zappy
Mystic Well, Deep Lair, Football, Harris Goes Skiing Haunted House,
Invaders, Jumpster, Roam, Stoneage Deluxe, USA, Zyxm, Firestorm
Aaron, Mindworp, Violence, Ozone - 4 brilliant games!
BUDGIE GAMES - £2.75 EACH
POWERFIST GAMES - £3.00 EACH
POWER 1 ■ Snort 93 - previously commercial playable platform qame. 1 Meq+
[51 2 on POWER if)
POWER 2 - Gholla One - four levels of alien blasting chaos!
POWER 3 - Seven Galaxies - extremely slick shoot em up, one ol the best so far,
POWER 4 - Hunchy 1 066 - go back in time with some artillery for this classic!
POWER 5 - Deluxe Nostrum - great flip screen arcade adventure, I meg+,
POWER 6 - Deluxe Nostrum - me 1/2 meg version.
POWER 8 - Power Cut - fly-around-bbst-em-up with 25 power bases to destroy!
POWER 9 - Lord Ramsey in the 25th Century - great cartoon-style caper,
POWER 13 - Location Universe 3D -escape four taxing levels ofthis brill 3D gome.
POWER 1 4 - Castle Capers - wonderland platform game set in o haunted castle.
POWER 1 5 - 'Ees Lost His Marbles! - Huge adventure written in STAC,
POWER 1 6 - Freaked Out 2 - the sequel to the great PD puzzle game.
| APR GAMES COMPILATIONS ~|
ADR are a group of coders who take popular PD games, compress them so that loads
can be fitted onto one disk and then put them onto a nice menu so that you just have
to press one button to load them. These disks represent outstanding volue for money ot
just £1.50 each!
ADR1 - Galaxian. Grav 2+, Kubes, Plop, Spacewor, Mega Depack 2,12
ADR3 - Balls, Violence, Kid Kong [1 meg+), Happy Pac Worm, Uamotron
ADR7 - Grandad (1 meg+], Grandad 2 part 1 , Critical Moss, Turbo
ADR8 - Grandad 2 part 2 (both parts needed), Prensorium+
ADR9 - Rush 2, H-Mec 2 [STE], Ozone 2, Blob Roce, Breakout +, Atomik 3,6
ADR1 - Super Dark Pearl ( 1 meq+), Operation Garfield (STE), Nirvana
(trained), Pocmac (STE 1 meg+), Teserae
FOOTBALL TACTICIAN 2
The most up-to-date football strategy game ever! Yes., all the program data is
updated every week! FT2 puts you in complete control of every detail of your
gome plan - change tactics, moke substituttions, adjust formation, mark players
inspect possession at any point in the game but watch out for the first ever real
referee intervention! Up to 46 players, o massive database with complete details
of every match going back 20 seasons. You'll never wont to play another football
gome after Football Tactician 2!
£22.95
ART & GRAPHICS
ART 1 - A disk full of 23 miscellaneous unities including viewgif ] .2.
ART 51 - Crackart 1 ,36 - latest version of the best ST art package! 1 Meg+.
ART 128 -Gemview 2.48 - new version ot this superb viewer/converter.
ART157 -PAD 2.4 -English version of this high res drawing package. 1 Meg+.
ART 172 - Paintshop Plus 2,03 - A commercial quality drawing package.
ART 1 80 - Paintpot - on ex-commercial pointing package which was £1 5,00
ART 1 87-1 96- Temptation! Volume 1 - the first pack tn a whole new range of tap
quality pictures of tempting girls! Two versions (please state which) -
one for STFM and one \o r STE which takes advantage ol o 32 768
cobur palette! EXCLUSIVE to New Age PDL! Ten crammed disks at
just £12.50.
DEMOS
- Falcon Boot 1 .2, Backward 2.23 (ST emulator), New Depack, Text Files, BUGAM 83 - Cyberstorm, a ve7 slick Defender game, really fast!
Desk Copy Deskpic 1 .05, Sysinfo, Multi Dialogue, DC Wad 2.1 , Revive BUGAM 89 - Horse Racing Simulator for 1 to 5 players, Buy/sell and bet!
FALC 15 - 45 assorted Mi NT/MultiTOS utilities + extended colour icons. BUGAM 1 00 - Clad Hopper - lovely version of Manic Miner from the 8-bit doys,
FALC 28 - X Control 1.2, Clock 2.0, Edison screen saver, Mini FS 0.55. Mcgic Boot BUGAM 1 04 - Jefpack - another faithful clone ol a classic Speccy game.
FALC 36 - RDE 3.1 Toswin 1 ,4, Lha 2.22, Zoo 2.1 , Zip 2.3, Gem Bench 3.25, Good BUGAM 1 1 3 - Footba Tactician - formerly a £20 release! Excellent!
Backup 1 , 1 3, Boot hit 1,1, Ecopy 1 .5, Fconrrol, Shbuf 1 ,3 BUGAM 1 1 9 - Football Tactician - the Premier League 92/93 season.
FALC77 - Emacs 3.1 1 , Everest 1.5, KM Term, Atomik 3.5, X-Menu 1 ,3, Profile 1 .43, BUGAM 1 20 - Dungeon - traditional hack & slash ^amewritten in Talespin
Rezfooler (run RGB stuff on VGA monitor], Fullres 1 ,01 , Swabs
DEMO 339 - STAX Hat Keinan Plan Demo
DEMO 336/337 - Troou'n Int Ket Bet Graet Ben Breman (2 disks] 1 Meg+ £3.00
DEMO 335 - Reality Is A Lie demo - 1 meg+
DEMO 334 - Aladdin Demo - short animotion with sound. 1 Meg+
DEMO 328 -Ambience Demo By Chaos
DEMO 325 - Perpetual Down Demo, 1 Meg+
DEMO 323/324 - TNM Megademo. 2 disks £3O0
DEMO 320-322 - Froggies Over The Fence - Three disks! 1 Meg+ £4.00
DEMO 316 -Grumbler In a Rutting Season Demo
DEMO 3 1 4/3 1 5 - Coding So Far Demo. 2 disks £3.00
DEMO 311-31 3 - Relapse demo - Three disks. STE Only! £4.00
DEMO 310 - Ecstacy 1 , Ecstacy 2 - brilliant STE demos
DEMO 303 - Erotica by Madonna, 1 Meg+.
DEMO 300 - U Got 2 Let The Music by CappeJIo (excellent!) - 1 Meg+.
DEMO 293 ■ Life, Mission Control Mix by Haddaway. 1 Meg+.
DEMO 292 - What is Love Passion Mix by Haddaway, 1 Meg+.
DEMO 283 - Mr Vain by Culture Beat - the smash hit Euro single - 1 Meg+,
DEMO 276 - E605 - a great STE only demo by Percy of Light,
DEMO 274/275 - Dreamzone - the lotest megademo from the Wild Boys. £3.00.
DEMO 270-272 - The Omikron Megademo - takes up 3 disks! I Meg+ - £4,00.
DEMO 264 - Romeo, Petit Papa Noel, Sinful Sinuses - 3 STE only demos,
DEMO 258 - Brutal Techno - Fantastic STE and 1 Meg only demo,
DEMO 25! - Great Techno Compilation - 5 brilliant pieces of techno music.
DEMO 242 - Music Dream II - 9 superb 50Khz tunes by E.I, - STE only.
SOUNDTRACKER MUSIC
TRAC 1 1 5 - 2 Unlimited Rock, Lost Forever, Moonchild, Techno '93.
TRAC 1 1 4 - Acidpan, Delight, I Feel Love, No Limit, Popcorn, The Scene, 1 993.
TRAC 1 1 3 - Boom! And She Cums! Da Ya Trust Me? Know What To Soy, STE only.
TRAC 111 - Empty Spaces, Toik yor Tym, Listen 2 The Rhythm, Hardcore. STE only.
TRAC 1 1 - Midnight at Noon, Watch Your Bass Spin, Hardcore Hypno 4. STE only.
BUGAM 1 21 - Super Scramble - take a trip to the S'-bit days with this shoot 'em up TRAC 1 05 - Alright, Daft Trip, Juicy, Moody, Two, Mod 3 (Techno Tunes).
NEW AGE PDL (DEFT STU15), P.O. BOX 30, LEIGH-ON-SEA, ESSEX, SS9 4AD TEL: (0702) 526435
£1.50 each New flae PDL
Unless otherwise stated lllV/W I IV«JW I LS V.
UT1L2
UTIL3
UTIL4
UTIL 5
aiiu
UTIL 12
UTIL 13
UTIL 14
U1U 15
UTIL 16
UTIL 19
UTIL 30
UTIL 35
UTIL 38
UTIL 42
UTIL 45
UTIL 46
UTIL 51
UTIL 53
UTIL 54
UTIL 55
UTIL 57
UTIL 58
UTIL 59
UTIL 60
UTIL 61
UTIL 62
UTIL 63
UTILITIES (ANY RES) ]
- Startgem, Head Start 1 . 1 , DC Clock, Disk Checker, Hard Disk Utils, Ram
Disks Hack 'n' Copy, Turtle 3.0 (HD backup], Megaformat, Memory Test.
- ST Almanac, Class 3.0 ■ combinaton spreadsheet/database for teachers,
Treesaver -prints several paces on one to save space - good for long docs.
- Pools 2.5, ST inii 3.4, Switcher ■ loads programs faster, 20 DC utilities.
- F-Copy 3, DC Showit, Desk Manager, Disk Scan, Mono Emulator 5, Spool,
DC Shjffer (loads 32 aces), Speech Synthesiser. Mouse Accelerator.
■ James The Mer, London Phone Codes, MenuSYS, Pinhead, Super Calendar
Batch Startup, Auto Sort, Postmortem, No Bombs, E-Disk, 9 Quick Utilities.
- Jam Packer 4, Wincf-XES (Modulator control panel}, Satellite 4.0! , Clock Set.
- German to English translator, last Print, DC Salvage, MiNT, Maccel 3,0,
- Printer Drivers inc Canon Bubblejet, Qume Daisywheel, Brother + Epson.
■ Calculator, D-Copy 3.08, Directory Printers, Guardian Virus Detector, Label
Maker, Recover, Sector Editor, Virus Die, CL1, Diary Reboot, Mousetrap.
■ Chameleon ■ loads and unloads accessories without having to reboot Sticker
3.0 [mono only), Definitive File Selector, Super Virus Killer, Benchmark
- Your Second Manual, Jokes, GDOS info, Bombs info + several magazines.
■ Superboot 8. 1 , Build Your Own Scanner, Report Writer, Disk Cleaner.
■Cheetah 1.1 (high speed cooying util), Rainbow TOS patches, Unarj 2.2.
■ Printer Drivers inc: KXP 1 1 24, Star LC24, NEC Pinwriter, Brother, Canon,
Citizen, HP Deskjet, Oki, Qume, Toxan, Toshiba, Riteman, Atari.
- Loads ofpackers inc: Alomik 3.5, Automation 5, Dragon 3 Fire 2, Ice 2.4,
Pompey 1 .9, Speed Packer 2, Branch Always Packer, + Mulii Depacker 1 .5
■ Intro Maker • mix pictures, sprites, scrolls and music together. Colour only.
- Kaos Desk 2.01 , Terra Desktop 1 .36 ■ replacement desktops,
■ STOS Shoot em up builder kit 0.6 - colour only,
- Form Finder 2.2 * horse racing predictor which is easy to use. Colour only.
■ TOS Version 1 .0 - allows you to run programs that don't run on your TOS,
■ Message Scroller, Archiver Shells, Envelope Printer Demo. Mega Cracker.
■ Spectrum Emulator 1 .2 ■ run Speccy games ■ includes Hobbit, Manic Miner
• Revenge Doc Displayer 3.0, Wordfinaer 3.0, Desktop.inf configurator,
• Career Themes Inventory and Personality Tester ■ great run!
■ Neodesk patches ■ upgrades 3.01 to 3.02 and 3.02 to 3,03.
JC Label 1 ,3, Jon-Dos 1 .7, Flowchart Compiler, Boot Time 2.0, Multisync.
■ Rename It, Zoo Archiver 2. 1 , Insert Date, Marrow, Shadow Romdisk.
■ BJ Chrome 1 .1 , Desk Master, Crocery Lister, Silk Mouse, Auto Load, Blitz.
■ JC Calendar 0.3 - an extremely pleasant and flexible calendar maker.
BUSINESS (ANY RES)
bush
BUSI 2
BUSI3
BUSI4
BUSI 5
BUSI 6
BUSI 7
BUSI 8
Invoice Aid Statement Generator demo. Sales Controller ■ High Res only.
Sheet 2,0, Dbase One, First Base 1 .6, Home fijdget Template.
Fastbase 2,0 ■ demo, felly functioning but with limits.
Opes 2.2 ■ brilliont spreadsheet. 1 Meg+
WG Dato, ST Sheet, visi Clone ■ three more spreadsheets.
Double Sentry Booh Keeping System, Address Book.
Astubonh 1 , 1 at ■ complete home accounts system - colour only.
G-Bose - a graphical database designed for importing graphics. Colour only.
MUSIC & MIDI
MUSIC 1 ■ Noi5elrocker 1 .5 ■ a popular soundtracker creator with samples & source.
MUSIC 2 ■ Samples disk 1 . works with most soundtracker creators.
MUSIC 7 ■ Hacker voice sets and songs for use with Quartet.
MUSIC 9 - Midi Magnet, Chord Master, Keys KMP, TX81i, Satellite (High Res only).
MUSIC 1 1 ■ Arpegaiator, Zeppelin, MIDI Beat, Project, Jukebox, MKS-50 - any res.
MUSIC 1 2 ■ Henry Cosh Sequencer, Composer ■ any resolution,
MUSIC 1 3 - Drum Patterns for Cu-Base in standard MIDI format ■ any resolution,
MUSIC 1 6 ■ Yamaha PSS790 Editor, includes loads of sample voices.
MUSIC 22 • Alchemie Junior 2.2 ■ sequencer with real-time, multitasking etc. High res.
MUSIC 23 - Sound Merlin - good ex-commercial program, Miozarts Dice Waltz -
compose music without musical knowledge. High res only.
MUSIC 24 - Octolyser 8-trcck tracker - STE only, Protracker 2.1 , YM Tracker,
MUSIC 25 - DR T's Omega II demo of their omazinq new sequencer, 1 Megt.
MUSIC 26 ■ PSS Utilities disk, loads of programs including patch editor, librarian etc.
MUSIC 27 - Casio CZ sounds, 32-track sequencer, Kawai Kl editor, MIDI menu,
MUSIC 28 - Editor and Librarian for Yamaha TX1 Z, MIDI rat, Switcher, High res only.
MUSIC 29 ■ Kawai Kl synth sounds.
WORDPROCESSINO (ANY RES)
WORD 1 - ST Writer Elite, EDI Text, Zap ST, ST Page, Typist, Desk Accessories.
WORD 2 - Mail Merger, Spell Check, Large Printer Maker, Count, Double, Convert.
WORD 3 ■ Font Master Deluxe (High res) ■ a kind of DTP program in German.
WORD 4 - First Word + tools, Grammar checker demo, SpelfBinder, Text Filter.
WORD 5 - Calamus Demo, no save function but you can print, High Res only.
WORD 6 ■ Redacteur 3 demo • contains everything except for the save function.
WORD 8 - DB Writer 1 .4 • slick document processor with spell checker & mail merge
built in plus all the usual functions, High Res onfy.
I EDUCATION
EDUC 1 - Kid Music, Kid Noles, Kid Bono, Kid Puzzle, Kid Graph, Rebus Writer,
EDUC 2 - Kid Grid 2, Kid Mixup, Kid Publisher, Kid Sketch, Kid Story , Kid ABC,
EDUC i ■ Moths Mode Easy, Kid Shopes, Kid Shapes Plus, Race Cards,
EDUC 7 - Michaels Big Adventure ■ colourful graphics, easy to ploy. Age 8+.
EDUC 9 - Bodyshop, Computer School 2 S 3, Butterfly in the Pari.
EDUC 1 2 - English Conjugation System, Pure Logic, Phonics, Key Capers.
EDUC i 6 ■ Franglais 1 & 2 ■ French Tutors, Me First 2.0, Numbers, Slimming,
EDUC 1 8 - Spanish Verb Tutor, World at Pish, About the House, Perfect Match.
EDUC 1 9 ■ Computer School 4 - tests reflexes, memory, logic, coordination etc,
EDUC 20 ■ Eoster Egg Hunt ■ pleasant adventure for /- 1 2 yrs without violence elc.
EDUC 21 ■ G.C.S.E. Higher Maths Grade Tutor, Franglais 3 - French Tutor,
EDUC 22 ■ G.C.S.E, Chemistry Tutor - all you need to attain grade 'C or above.
LANG 24
LANG 27
LANG 29
LANG 33
LANG 34
LANG 35
LANG 36
LANG 37
LANG 38
LANG 39
STOS 9
BUPRO 2
BUPR04
BUPRO 16
C.I.A. WORLD FACTBOOK
~"S
Four disks crammed with information about the world,
covering 247 nations and their populations. An absolute
mountain of knowledge useful for research. Also covers
weights and measures and contains a complete Chemistry
Reference Book. Amazing!! EDUC 23-26.
v £50 °
EDUC 27 - Maslertime ■ brilliont time tutor, covers analogue and digital + Humon.
EDUC 31 ■ 1900'sUSSR-a very good interactive learning system.
SHOE]
SHOE 2
SHOE 3
SHOE 4
SHOE 5
SHOE 6
SHOE 7
SHOE 9
SHOE 10
SHOESTRING EDUCATION
Robot Attack ■ tests children on their times tables. £2.95.
Moon Letters - o nice spelling type game. £2.95.
Picture Mix ■ Age 6+ the aim is to recreate a mixed-up picture. £2.95.
Robot Words ■ a friendly hangman type gome for kiefs. £2.95.
Alphabet Mix - like SHOE 3 but with words instead. £2.95.
All Blocked Up - A really good maths/shoot em up game. £2.95.
Word Race ■ win races by spelling words correctly. £2.95.
Maths Fun 1 -a nice maths game lor children. £2.95.
Mini Boggle ■ a good version of the classic game of boggle. £2.95.
PROGRAMMING
LANG 1/2 • Sozobon C Compiler release 2. Includes documentation, shell elc. £3.
LANG 3 - C Source code, foods of routines including documentation,
GNU C++ COMPILER 2.1
This five disk set is archived and will need to be unarchived
to a hard drive before use. It also requires at least 2.5 meg
of mermory. This is intended as a developers version - ie not
for novices. LANG 5-9.
£6.50
C Adventure Toolkit - the very best adventure creator available.
GFA Basic v 2.0 - GFA Expert - a nice GFA Basic tutorial.
STOS Tracker - adds a new set of STOS commands for Soundtracker.
Coronado Enterprises C++ Tutorial 2.0-12 chapters + source.
Pascal Compiler, includes linker, library files, shell + programs.
Ultimate GFA Database 1 .7 ■ loads of references to GFA articles.
STOS Extensions: Missing Link, Misty, Bfitter MIDI, STE, + 7 more!
STOS Software pack 1 - millions (almost!) of routines etc.
Robert Annets Source Code disk - from the author of Shockwave.
The complete STOS source code to Pandora's Box.
The latest issue of STOSSER disk magazine, tutorials, articles, reviews.
68000 Programmers Library - hundreds of routs for games. £2.95.
Moving Bytes 1 ■ more routines for screen effects, music, scrolls, £2.95.
ST-68K Reference 3 ■ includes full data on ST internals, excellent. £2.95.
BEGINNERS GUIDE TO
STOS BASIC
This is a compete programming course for all ST/STE's consisting
of o 618 page, ring bound course manual plus two double sided
disks with over 1 90 programming examples! 26 chapters will take
you through step-by-step how to create shoot em up's, art
programs, |unior educational programs, GCSE maths programs,
databases, word processors, music programs, and much, much
more. Recommended retail price is £39.95 plus postage but we are
doing it for an amazing £29.95 plus postage [£3.00 UK only).
Read the box below for details of our unmissable EXCLU5IVE
software mega-pack!.
«9-9S
STOS PD SOFTWARE
MEGA-PACK!
This is a collection of seven double sided disks selected from our
library especially for their volue to STOS programmers. We are
offering this pack EXCLUSIVELY to customers of the Beginners
Guide to STOS Basic (as above) at the amazing price of just £6.95!
This pack consists of LANG 29, 36 & 37, GAME 1 9 & STOS 7, 8
& 9 which contain an upgrade to the latest version of STOS, Ions of
STOS extensions, mountains of source code including several
complete games and the three latest issues of STOSSER magazine
which are crammed to the brim with articles, hints & tips, tutorials,
routines and many freebies. NOT TO BE MISSED!!
«6.95
This pack ONLY available to
customers o£ the Beginners Guide
to STOS Basic
POSTAGE RATES:
UK: FREE
EUROPE: 15p PER DISK
REST OF WORLD: 50p PER DISK
"\
LANG 1 1 - GFA Bosic programs, includes runner program. ST Basic 1 programs.
LANG 1 3 - Professional GEM guide - ! 7 chapters of tutorial with C source.
LANG 16 - STOS Tutorial and various Basic programs.
FREE ST CATALOGUE
WITH
FREE SOFTWARE
FOR NEW CUSTOMERS
UPON REQUEST
PLEASE RUSH ME THE FOLLOWING DISKS:
DISK CODE PRICE (£)
SUB-TOTAL 1 (£)
ST CATALOGUE □
FALCON CATALOGUE □
TEMPTATION I STFM (£12.50) □
TEMPTATION 1 STE (£12.50) □
C.I.A. WORLD FACTBOOK (£5.00) □
GNU C++ COMPILER (£6.50) □
FOOTBALL TACTICIAN 2 (£22.95) □
STOS BASIC GUIDE (29.95) □
STOS MEGA-PACK (£6.95) □
SUB-TOTAL 2 (£)
POSTAGE
TOTAL
Name ....
Address .
Postcode
Telephone
SEND YOUR ORDER TO: NEW AGE PDL (DEPT STU 15), P.O. BOX 30, LEIGH-ON-SEA, ESSEX, SS9 4AD
ait order is at its best reliable,
fast, and cheaper than the
shops, but at its worst has
slow delivery times, low qual-
ity equipment and a faulty "but it was fine
when it left our premises, sir..." product
posted to your front doorstep.
Some people swear by postal purchase
while others, with their fingers and wallets
well and truly burned, advise caution,
painting grim horror stories of scandal
and swindle as their hard-earned cash
disappeared into a large financial abyss -
their biggest achievement being an
appearance on Watchdog as another
abused and much misused customer.
Like any kind of business transaction,
whether it be buying a house or sending
off for a piece of software, the first rule is
knowing your rights - essential if you want
to have the best chance of not being
ripped off.
Due to the recession, many small
companies have bitten the bullet and sunk
without a trace leaving, in some cases,
bitter customers wondering where their
money went.
You may think that once a business has
folded, that's it, it's tough luck and you
might as well forget any cash refund. Well
not necessarily; if you have paid a deposit
or even an advance payment, you auto-
matically become a creditor.
PECKING ORDER
This allows you to be on the receiving
end for some kind of pay back, but there
is always a rub - a strict pecking order
with the banks, financial institutes and
everyone's friend, the Inland Revenue
office being first in line for any cash hand-
outs.
You, on the other hand, the ^*^
humble and most
important part of
any business (the ^
customer), are left
last in line with a
begging bowl, hoping to catch a few
crumbs as the financial vultures rip off
mounds of flesh from the corpse of the
dead company.
Under the Insolvency Act of 1 986, you
are allowed by law to know exactly what
has happened to the deceased business, so
put your case in writing and contact the
liquidator or receiver.
From there, several things can happen
- if you have returned the goods for repair
and they're still under warranty, it's well
worth considering a visit to the premises
and having a chat with the administrator
or liquidator in person with the intention
of laying your hands on your property. If
CONTACTS
Advertising Standards Authority
Brook House
2- 1 6 Torrington Place
London WC IE 7HN
gsMOPSsSJ
Mail Order Protection Scheme
l6Tooks Court
London EC4A I LB
When mail order companies take your money and
don't provide you with the product you wanted, what
can you do? Adam Phillips investigates
possible, take along evidence of purchase
such as cheque stubs or more ideally
receipts, while making sure that you have
proof of identity to verify who you say you
are.
Alternatively, you may have ordered
and paid for the product and it's sitting in
Don't
ra
the offices with your name and
address on it. If so, there's a
good case for claiming it.
If you paid by credit card
for a price over £ 1 00, then / _
it's possible to claim j
refund from the credit /
card company under /
the Consumer Credit
Act. Though this is
not a popular
option in ^
the eyes
of credit card
companies, it's well
within your legal rights. /
If you placed the
order through a maga- ff
zine or newspaper and
it displays either the
Periodical Publisher's Association symbol
(covering mags) or the Mail Order
Protection Scheme, then you are covered
for a claim.
Make sure that you do this within thr<
months of the particular company's last
advert appearing or this protection is
rendered invalid.
Another qualm that can be a problem
for customers is delayed merchandising.
While in the strictest sense, companies
should not take any money or cash any
cheques until the order is fulfilled, it's not
illegal so you have to approach the prob-
Periodical Publishers Association
Imperial House
15-19 Klngsway
London WC2B 6UN
Mailing Preference Service
Freepost 22
London W I E7EZ
lem in a different way.
One of the first rules of home delivery
is if you think you may be out when a
parcel may be delivered, remember to
give an alternative address such as a
neighbour's or another time to drop by.
If you need your package sent as soon
as possible, a useful piece of legal talk is to
write to the company's head office to
inform them that you need to take deliv-
ery by a certain date as "time is of the
essence".
Set a reasonable time for delivery such
as a week to ten days and if this expires,
you become entitled to a refund because
the mail order firm is in breach of its
contract.
On top of this, you may also be entitled
to claim reasonable compensation
brought about by the delay especially if it
ended in yourself buying the product from
'— in the meantime.
The final and most frustrating problem
is when the parcel arrives at your house
mail order
The 12 Commandments
■<
^S
I on opening it up enthusiastically, you
realise to your horror that the wretched
thing is faulty.
If the goods were damaged in transit
then it's not the supplier's responsibil-
ity and therefore the matter must
be taken up with the carrier a
or Post Office (pop in to
your local PO and get a
*■ claim form if this should
happen).
\lf, on the other
hand, the goods are
defective, you have
the same rights
under the Sale of
Goods Act as if
you'd bought the
item directly
over the counter. Contact the supplier as
soon as possible - by law you are entitled
to a full refund.
Phone and put your complaint in writ-
ing and send the product by recorded
delivery so that the firm cannot deny
anything at a later stage, and arrange for
the return of the goods. Also make sure
to ask for the return carriage charges to
be reimbursed as well.
Finally, make sure that the product you
receive fits the description given to you in
the advert, that it is of merchantable qual-
ity and that it's fit for its purpose. Happy
shopping.
<
While the majority of mail order companies conduct
their business in a responsible and professional way,
what is important to remember is that for someone to
set up a company, place an advert in a paper or maga-
zine and sell anything requires no mandatory registra-
tion or vetting by a governing body whatsoever.
For that reason, it's always wise to follow the basic
rules for safe postal shopping:
1. When first clapping eyes on something you must have,
check that the magazine/catalogue is up to date - it has
been known for cheques to be sent off recently for
offers that were made in 1 989 - no joke.
2. Read the advertisement closely. Look for the small print so
if anything does go wrong, you're fully aware of what the
advert stated - delivery times, guarantees and so on.
The publication you are ordering from is covered by the
British Code of Advertising. The BCAP states that ads
should give a delivery time and that it should be no
more than 28 days.
3. Look out for extra costs - postage and packaging can some-
times add a few pounds onto the overall price. Some
companies include this in the advertised price, while
others seem to forget until the bill arrives.
4. Check availability with a simple phone call. Sometimes the
item you want may be out of stock so there may be a
delay. Note down what they say.
5. Enquire about rules and costs before you place the order.
6. When you write off for the goods, remember to include
your name, telephone number and address and make
sure it's legible. Your number is important for any
subsequent delivery problems that may occur.
7. If you wish to avoid mailshots landing on your doormat
every month, tell the company that you don't want
them to pass on your name address to any third parties.
For extra security against junk mail, write to the Mailing
Preference Service. Any company wishing to send direct
mail should check the MPS register and exclude the
people who have placed themselves on It.
8. Keep copies of the order with the date on it as well as any
subsequent correspondence that may occur with the
company. Make photocopies - computer files on disk
are frowned upon by modern courts.
9. Make notes of any phone conversations you have with the
mail order firm and the names of the people you speak
to - this kind of information can be very useful as a legal
weapon for evidence.
10. Never send money through the post - the Post Office
advises strongly against it and will not refund you in
anyway if it is stolen or "misplaced".
1 1 . Only send in the cash in the form of cheque or postal order
when absolutely required to. Keep records of any finan-
cial transactions you make.
12. Contact the Advertising Standards Authority if all
demands are ignored and if push comes to shove,
consider legal action in a court of law.
Atari ST User February 1994 41
WARPZONE PDL
MORE THAN JUST A PD LIBRARY
53 Ropewalk, River St., St. Judes, Bristol BS2 9EG
Telephone/Fax: 0272 553758
J
US-12
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Elite (Good Word Pro)
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ATARI themselves This vers.4 is a must
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RRP £39.95 OUR PRICE £37.95
IMPRINT
View. Convert & Process images. Prim lo most 9
pin or 24 pin. Mono or Colour printers
Comes complete with picture grabbing utility!
RRP £15.99 OL'R PRICE £14.99
GBN-M
GEN-05
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GEN- 16
GEN-20
GEN-22
GEN-24
GEN- 25
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GEN-34
GEN-35
ST-Tour iSpeciallv for beginners)
Your 2nd ST Manual ' {A MUST)
All the little things (and some not so little) thai
qui friends at ATARI should have told you but
didn'i. This is the manual thai should have been
supplied with your computer (at least in our
humble opinion}
Adventure Wnter/Skymap + 4 more
Archive Suite (back-up in less space)
ZX-81 Emulator + lols of programs
Back to those halcyon days of (he ZX-81
Emulate (if you must) this forgotten unit
Formfinder 2. 1 (find a winner?)
If you like a flutter on the horses then maybe
this program can help to make it profitable!
This is a Working Demo. Full version available
60 assorted samples (SPL Formal)
Firsibase DB+7 more good programs
E-Pian (Electronic Circuit Designer!
Joke Databa.se (Laugh with us!)
Quartet Samples 1! (730k of samples)
Film File Enquiry
With this unusual Database you can keep track
of ail your favourite Rims, Actors. Directors
etc. Lots fo classic films inc
Data File (TV Titler/Asst. Chef/Paarty)
Great value on this one; A Video Tiller and
extensive Recipe/Instruction Database + a bevy
of alchafrolic cocktails!!
Sozobob'C (language)
Spectrum Emulator (with programs)
Introduce vour ST to ihji long, long ago entity, the
ZX SPECTRUM complete with working progs
t L-ZTEXI+
The perfect introduction to Desktop Publishing
A good starting point for beginners, giving
professional results, requires Mono for 301) D.P.I.
RRP £19.99 OUR PRICE £18.99
INKJET
SUPPLIES
A full range of supplies
including all major brands of
refills, paper etc always
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Introducing
ATARI ST Machine Code
Leam to program in Assembler:- Tim excdbl package, comprising
of a well written anther, amnt bonk i disk crammed with
source code from the book and other utilities, is suitable for a
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RRP £19.99 OUR PRICE £18.99
ft z-zmcrnoTESSiotfM. &
A full features. hi«h quality, award winning - (ST USER's
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of primers inc. Lazer and Inkjet. Uses GDOS & standard
GDOS fonts. Requires a minimum of 1 Mbyte of memorv
RRP £39.99 OUR PRICE £36.99
fully inclusive of post and packing
C
c
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■
TE-IIR
II
TE-10
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This isancJ k ga demos
converted over to die ST and it <S< ■■■: .
so much better!!
. nations
: more
8oingSTE+ Mil
The Tobias Richter Art Show
withafehut rack (mono
-« (2D.SKS1^M Si.back.Kl
DEM-102 Doctor Who Demo
DEM-88 Light Speed Demo
DEM-90 Delirious Demo (2 DISK SET £2.75)
HI M 95 Wings ofDeafh Music Demo
DEM-97 KLFDemo (House hit + dancers)
DEM-98 Star Wars Rap
DEM- 101 Spinning Dolls + Shiny Bubbles
fhis one lakes a while lo load but the end
result is more than worth the wait
DEM-84 Things Not to Do (EXCELLENT)
Very Humorous, animated account of things
not to do and the result if you do!
DEM-67 Fish & Chips (GET THIS ONE)
Loads of excellent demos wiih some very
funny interludes between them
DEM-46 European Demo's (2 DISK SET £2.75)
DIAI44 SkidRow (2 DISK SET £2.75)
DEM43 Punish Voui Machine^ DISK SET £2.75)
Countless demos on all of ihe above two
.illy handle
all these ai
lark Side of the Spoon
DEM-82 Wasted Years
DEM-100 The Run (animation from T. Richter)
This one is so much better than the original
AMIG \ ■
DF,M-55 A i
J
GRA-24
GRA-20
GRA-27
GRA-10
GRA-28
GRA-1
Crackart
No.! in STR's PD Top Ten! This prog will
process your pics in ways you will not
believe: I urve, ("wist, Wave, fube, Palette
edit. Dither, Animation a
Degas. Neo & Tny format
Painllux (full featu
Kozmic (needs 1 Meg)
Create fantastic, colourful psychedelic
patterns on your ST & save to disk
PAD (Mono Art pi
Absolutely the best Mono art package we've
seen to date, many commercial f{
the ability to hold many screens in memory
(I Meg mini
Mono Pictures [43 high-res pics)
Colourburst II (+ 5 other program
A very good little Art/JV.!!
disk: MAC to Degas converter Fine Lin
prog using Bezier/Spline
A.I.M. (Atari Image Processor
Exactly what it says, if you can create at
image on your Atari then you can pro
add or alter it with A.I.M.
Ani-ST
Excellent Art & Animation package that
started life as a commercial art program
costing £89.95!!
Kid Publisher & Master Doodle
A DTP package + Art/Paint program both
good starting points for the kids
Colourspace
This is another program thai started life as a
commercial package now released as
Shareware by Jeff Minter, Create your own
colour &. light show. Turn up the music, sit
back and be amazed
Sprite Works
Art Prog geared towards creation of Sprites
for use in your own programs
Hi-res Art
4 programs & pictures for Mono users
Picswiich 7,0 (needs I Meg!)
Converts your pics between various formats
and all screen resolutions
Play -IT
Combine picture and sound Into a story
board with special scripting commands
& C-FONT
Converts Calamus fonts into Bitmap
fonts for use with any GDOS package
OUR PRICE £8.99
a. yy
TOS 2.06 Upgrade
This software switchable board comes
complete with TOS 2.06 rams to enable
you to switch between your original TOS
and the much improved 2.6 version.
Comes complete with Icon Editor and
utilities.
OUR price £62.95 l
TRACKERS & MODUI.KS
TRAX-27 Empire Noise Tracker 1.5
4-3 modules & utilities
TRAX-44 Digi-Composer (STE Tracker)
Wittl 4 l'|:
TRAX-47 MegaTracke
Sun ST or STE + 6 modules
TRAX-4BSTOS Tracker (for STO
TRAX-37 MUG AMIG 3
5 outstanding Amiga converted mods
TRAX45 Rave On (in
'JANUARY-
SALE
Due to the
success of
January sale i.e.
all disks £1.25
each, this offer
has now been
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To qualify, all
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received by
February 2&V
MID1-I9
M1DI-17
MIDI-12
MIDI 14
MIDI-01
MIDI-IB
MID1-U4
MIDI-IB
MIDI- 10
MIDI-] I
MIDI-l-1
MIDI-16
MIDI ■
MIDI-21
SYS-EXKit (2 DISK '
System Exclusive Kit... it your keyboard sopfM
(YAMAHA) Sys-Ex then this set is lor you. I'
disks chock Ml of MIDI SSI
EXCLUSIVE progs, utilities, acccssoi
Alchemic Jnr
Recording Studio Utilities
Keep track of your trucks
exceptionally good Study.
Henry Cosh Sequencer
NameThatTune (111 midi files)
PSS special (jus
keyboards YOU NEED THIS DISK
Create an allium from 43 SNG files
42 SNG flics with CZ101 player
CZ &. DX editors & librarians
Picture shos, i
Name That Tunc + 1 1 1 mi
Sound Shifter, . Yamaha PSS editor
[IX &FB0] editor & librarian
Feehng Partner &EZTra,
Working Demos of these v
: MIDI packages
Superconductor sequencer i utils
AUTHORS
J of PD., Shareware & Licenceware
I Here at Warpzone PDL we're always looking for new
I and innovative tides for inclusion in our library, if you
I have written something you feel is of good siandard
linen please call us, we will he happy to hear from you
C
HTfTI
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COM-03 V.inlurin-t.liii
Still the best PD (ERM program!!
COM -04 Uniterm (Excellent teimii
I Terminal
COM H8 View D/L files when ofl
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THIS MONTHS SPECIAL OFFERS
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Mouse Mat & Mouse Holder £2.99
these items are inclusive of postage & packaging
GAM-79
c
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VIOLENCE [brill Shooi-em-up)
No. 4 in December's STR I'D Game TOP 10
GAM-98 Bubbles McGee/Viking h6more
GAM-07 Clowns & Missile(8-bil clones)
GAM-22 A -:i ■ I 10 more
GAM-28 Qu< ■ ! "gger+ I
GAM-34 X-wordffiugsAVarrior + 2 more
GAM-36 Kli
Caves of RigeVFrogg: :
Blob (very addictive)
GAM-51 Battleships (with speech) + 2 more
GAM-59 Dungeonz/Gnu ilj Maze + 3 more
■: lURied/Quizica] + 3
( rAM-62 fiernmda Races/Geoquiz + 2 more
GAM-67 Battle for (he Throne/Video Vegas
to 70 Adventure Solutions. . . Solutions to
well over I (X) adventures on 3 disk*
izerchess/Time Bandit + 7 more
GAM-74 Chess Nut + over 90 game cheats
\iidmwe 2*2 more
GAM-83 STAC. Adventure Writ
retris/Drachen+ 4 (MONO games)
GAM-85 Mutant Camel/Llamalron ( 1 meg)
GAM-88 Odeuss & Sir Ramie Hobbs (adv i
GAM-93 Mars Maze
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PURCHASE
High qualitv lifetime guarantee
DS/DD Blank Disks
100 -£ 30.00
2SO-£ 72.50
500 -£135.00
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BOXES
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100 Capacity £7.99
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MXB-14
MXB-12
MXB-li)
MXB-21
MXB-1X
MXB-16
MXB-04
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UTIL-34
UTIL-06
i II .
UT1L-21
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UTIL-05
■ '■ ■
Fcopy 3/Diskiool + 10 others
inc. File Packer. File Reader. Qu ikmouse.
Desktop Music, 2 Demos. Batilezone Game.
Nasa Game. Desktop Cala & more
Geography/Typewriter + 10 more
Grammar check/Loan calc+ 10
Diskmech/ST Init + 1 1 others
Quark. .. 30 Sci-Fi stories on disk
Professional Astrology
A truly professional Astrology prog with
serious support and upgrade - add on
modules, available from its very helpful
author
15 asst'd Mils inc. Goodies/Fonlrix
12 assl'd utils inc. Codefjnd/Arc
Inc. Archive prog. Assembler to GFA STD
code finder. Format prog. HD-Ulility. Data
Salvage- & more
Miscellaneous
STOS upgrade (to am ST). Dual-Column
printer. Fastpnnt utility. Spell Checker &
Artprint - a way to keep graphic track of
your picey's and Clip Art
Minidraft2(+STCAD+I more)
Mega Utility (31 asst'd utilities)
HD utils/Ramdisk and 12 others
Archive Suite (compression progs)
Sticker III (best disk labeller)
II) progs for printer owners
7 suites of various label pi
Address book/V kill/Packer
UTTL-32 '
uperboot 7.2 +7 others
UTIL-04 Disk cataloger&Labellei + I more
UTIL-06 ForraatteriRamdisk + 12 more
UTiL-10 Gemini, alternative. Desktop
UTIL-1 1 IS asst'd desk accessories
UTIL-16 17 asst'd desk accessories
lfTiL-24 Disk Doubier/Dua! Format + 1 2
UTIL-27 Sagrotan (Virus killer, very good)
UTIL-38 Vault (best HD back-up) + 5 more
UTIL-02 System 2 < r. ■ : ■
UTJL-39 Various Archivers & Packers
UTIL40 ST CAD 11 (excellent CAD prog)
UTIL-4 1 Spreadsheet/Sector edit + 4 more
PRICES
£1.50 per D/S disk
Intro disk catalogue
including 700k software £1.00 +
S.S.A.E.
All orders over £5.00 add 50p
p&p unless otherwise stated
(U.K. only). All overseas orders
in Sterling. Overseas postage
rates on request.
Catalogue Only:-
Please send Blank Disk & S.A.E.
Only one Free Offer per order please
Cheques/P.O.'s to Warpzone PDL
MUS-31 Megarave (extra long Rave track)
MUS-29 Energy for You (5 Dance tracks)
MUS-28 Hardcore Dancefloor (NOT STE)
MUS-21 Hi-Fidelity Dreams
As reviewed in March STR. you have just
got to hear this! Better on an 'E'. Amiga eat
your heart out!!!
MUS-22to27 Peeks & Pokes 1 to 6
All these tracks are of the same qualitv as
Hi-Fidelity Dreams (MUS-21)
MUS-30 Musical Wonder Demo
88 pieces of music some original some
Digital tracks & some Sound Chip tunes
'P.D. STARTER PACK
10 Double Sided Disks of Your
Choice in a clear plastic library case. An
offer that is definitely not to be missed!
o* £11.99 *o
Fully inclusive of post & packing
* excludes all free offers *
D ■
BDU-4
EDU-5
EDU-2
Body Shop, Kid publisher/Story
Spelling Easy + Alphabet
Master Time (Analogue &. Digital I
EDU-24 Playtime [6 activities for very young)
EDU-20 Starsazei tasironorm - .' :-
EDU- 19 Rip It Up (learn Highway Code-Demo)
Wealso carry the full rangi
SHOESTRING Education. 'i
WATCH THESE PAGES NEXT ISSUE
We know by now you must be getting rather tired of seeing this
same old ad, so watch our next issue for a great new ad with
lots of new disks and Special Offers plus new packages never |
before seen in this country.
Also to be announced in the new Ad are the winners of the
Xmas Draw.
MEGA Pack
I packed to capacity d/d disks
over 14.5Mb of software.
A cross seciion of our library - all
us for only £22.99 inc p&p.
DEMO Pack ^
feast for your eyes and ears wiih
er 60 Demos, many doing just what
I supposed to be able to do! ' ! 18.99
SOUND Pack 1
I Music just for the pure pleasure ofil. That's *\w ihis
I p^kisaDabouiyouwillbcsurprisedhottgood
your ST sounds. 40 tracks to I'red vour ears. £8.99 J
EXTRA VALUE PACKS
iThe equivalent of 7 Double Sided Disks!
full of programs
now only £7.99 per pack
BfiBflB MIDI Pack ]
If MIDI is your thing, then this pack is for you.. .
| Over 61) files inc. Sequencers. MIDI Utilities, MIDI
i format scq files. Librarians, Patch editors &. more.
GAMES Pack 1
47 widely varied games, from the really
j easy to ihe frusiratingly hard, you're sure to find
1 something to tesi your mettle in this collection.
EDUCATION Pack'
0k From pre- school ^hape'colour recognition) rigfii
/'Viiijjr. ihriHiiii to lait'irtn'.HichuyCode) you will find
-^if MUSIC Pack
This pack will have you and your ST making music
in no time, Sequencers. Noise Trackers and Modules
Musical Trivia + sonss just for listening to.
ART Pack
If you have always warned io create a masterpiece |
and all that was lacking was the tools then look no
Further... An progs and pics galore in this pack!"!
'ADVENTURE Pack 1
Lose yourself in the realm of myth, magic
jr. and mystery with the many and \ aried le.vi C 1
[_ graphic adventures in ihis pack.
BUSINESS Pack]
Need a Spreadsheet? or a Database'.' or
maybe a Word Processor? In this pack
sou will find all three and much more.
j UTILITY Pack 1
J Here are no less than 50 utilities for
} countless weird and wonderful uses. Best
used with your ATARI ST/E.
[ CLIP ART Pack]
1 nT. y- ■ — » This Pack is so new that the files are 1
1 *-j not even in ihe main library yet 1 !"' 1
1 £d ® §*£ ■sjs? As usual 7 fall D/S disks
TAKE any TWO packs
Pear Only
£13.99
+ TwJnpacfc OtTei excludes library cases *
FREE OFFER ,
Placing a software order for more than £9.0(J will entitle you to a
choice of one or more of the disks in the box on the far right FREE!
More than £9.CM>: choose any 1 disk
More £han £18.00: choose any 2 disks ,^
More than £28.00: choose any 3 disks
More than £40.00: take ail four disks!
1) OPERATION GARFIELD Excellent new STE earne
2) MIDI MUSIC MAKER - Play most types of Midi/Music files
3) ART TUTOR - Let your ST be your Art Teacher
4) EASY PLAYER - Play MOD files by just clicking on them
'hat a turn around! No
sooner had I said "Send me
more software", then a
large amount materialised
on my desk. Thanks for your response
and keep sending it in - remember
nothing is too strange or different
for these pages.
Storm
Produced by: Fugitive Freelancers
Available from: LAPD Disk No L64
Alien Breed, the hugely popular arcade blast
on the Amiga, was heralded by many as the
definitive unofficial film licence of a particularly
successful film that surfaced nearly six years
ago in the cinema.
Now, several years on after drifting
through deep space, the ST equivalent has
been salvaged and created by Fugitive
Freelancers. It's time to experience masses
of aliens with dripping mucus-covered claws
and blood dripping in slithery trails from
their deformed mouths - the player's
mission being to go aboard a mysterious
space hulk and blow the living hell out of
anything that moves.
On booting up Storm, the first things to
strike you are the aurals and visuals which
make up an attractive front end with well-
used music, titles and the odd voice sample
as well. As the mission screen is displayed,
feelings of anticipation grow but as the
playing screen appears and you move the
joystick for the first time, these disappear quickly.
The controls and character movement are
both slow and sluggish as you move your
marine down various corridors, passages,
halls and rooms collecting ammo, medi kits,
key cards for locked doors and credits to
Run down the claustrophobic corridors blasting
anything that dares step in your way...
spend on the onboard computer to get extra
weaponry. Aliens come at you thick and fast
which may be great for an itchy trigger finger
but after a while you can't help but feel that
if the enemy had been in fewer numbers and
more intelligent, it would have created a far
more suspense-ridden atmosphere. Instead
the herd of beasties run into your bullets
only to be replaced by yet another flock a
couple of seconds later.
The graphics themselves are effective,
especially the aliens, but the main sprite and
other alien form (some kind of dark smudgy
thingy) are poorly defined.
Aurally, there are quite a few good spot
effects with the shooting guns and the short
screaming deaths of aliens. All the while, a rumble
of music plays menacingly in the background.
It's hard to really recommend a game that
has the potential to be superb but as Storm
stands. Alien Breed enviers and Aliens fans will get
a few reasonable kicks out of this blast fest.
Another roundup of all things PD, shareware
and licenceware as reviewed by our resident word
maestro, Adam Phillips... who?
Label Printer
Produced by: Brite Spark Software
Available from: LAPD
If you ever need a quick and efficient way of
printing labels for various uses and have to type
them on a typewriter or, unless you're a callig-
rapher, at worst, have to draw wobbly lettering
to go on your home grown wine to give it that
special amateur look, then Label Printer could
be an end to those frustrations.
Presented in a simple and well laid out series
of panels, all the user needs to do is type what
they want to appear on the labels and let the
computer and printer do the rest.
The program also features a personal data-
base plus file to Brite Spark label printer
converter to help with any compatibility prob-
lems. A useful and practical utility.
LABEL PRINTER
J Q
29^B7/J.989
NEXT LABEL
BACK A LABEL
AMEND ft LABEL
DELETE A LABEL
LABEL SIZE
[ghSiiE E
CLEAR DATABASE
FORMAT DISK
SAVE DATABASE
LOAD DATABASE
ITE SPARK SOFTWARE COOED BV (
.MCLACHLAN I
[CURRENT LABEL
j TOTAL LABELS
BRITE SPRRK SOFTWARE
C/O CMCL.RCHL.flN
J.S DORCHESTER AVE
K.ELVINDAL.E
GLASGOW
SCOTLAND
GJ.2 SEE
Labelling for all occasions with this handy utility
Kev's World
Produced by: Beni P.
Available from: Caledonia PDL Disk No GM I 96
Kev's World, Kev's World, party time, excel-
lent and other hip and happening phrases
which will be regarded as relics by the time
next year "schwings" round.
Kevin and his planet is actually a reasonable
stab at a platform adventure. Guiding a
distinctly nerdy character round the screen is
the usual joyous affair - collect stars to amass
a bigger score, avoid the assorted creatures
and hazardous obstacles such as spikes and
water, and pick up the occasional power-ups
for invincibility, extra energy and more lives.
At the end of each long level through what
appears to be a large castle, you're
confronted with an especially nasty creature
that is guarding your girlfriend. Defeat it and
it's onto the next, more difficult stage.
The titles' main weakness is its speed
which is always a little jerky but the actual
gameplay is quite fun and challenging. The
platformer market will always be with us and
Kev's World joins the universe of commercial
and PD jumping about programs confidently.
if "-:-:-:-:-«
i
' -i-K:. ."_--
"iS-j" r_T " r —-"■"-*"
]-• ::-:-;•*■ :-:-:!■
Mi >f
1,^1^1
^•iVEEOOHHH ■ • ! jr.
• 5) .■— 59!
6 K6«S 1
Excellent, schwing, take a pill, we're not
worthy... and so on into catchphrase oblivion
Atari ST User February 1994
PD and shareware
The Glass Buttock of Tharg
Programmed by: Ian Scott
Available from: The Floppyshop Disk No GAM. 4 1 67c
Once upon a time, there was a queen who ruled over a peaceful and
beautiful island. One day, she had an accident involving a goat, some soft
cheese and an electric sander which resulted in her left buttock
being sliced off.
All would have been well but a state of public panic arose for every
time she tried to park herself on the throne, she promptly slid right
back off - very embarrassing when entertaining foreign ambassadors.
Word was sent across the world for someone to help with the
dilemma and in answer to everyone's prayers, a witch called Hazel
offered her services.
On taking measurements, she began the painstaking task of recreating
the perfect prosthetic buttock for her majesty.
After a few months work, Hazel produced her finished result - a bum
cheek moulded in the finest glass crystal. Alas, to her horror, it was
useless because glass is not the most ideal of materials to use for
replacement limbs.
She was laughed from the courts and kicked out of the country but
before she went, she bestowed the glass buttock with
humungous magical powers-
Years later, after the queen's death, the buttock now rules with an
Choose from a wealth of celebrities and try to get Jeremy Beadle into ^
body bag...
Race across the island as Mr Bean and inspire men with your incredible
social skills and charisma to join your cause
iron fist using its troops, the bum bandits (political correctness isn't the
programmer's strong point), to marshal the harsh law of the land.
That was until one day, a group of television, film and rock stars
decided they'd had enough and planned the overthrow of the glass
buttock of Tharg...
And so begins the scenario of the latest game from the creator of the
PD classic Grandad series, Ian Scott. Set on the island of Tharg, the
player must move his 12 different characters round the map, visiting
castles and recruiting men for the righteous cause.
Simply click on the person you wish to use from the selection screen
and the action flicks to a first person view of the island. Then move
through the Ishar-esque landscape with the intention of raising a large
enough army for the destruction of the enemy's castle.
These 1 2 characters under your command however are not the usual
stuff of heroes - ranging from the likes of Mr Bean, Alan B'stard MP and
Kim Basinger to Jimi Hendrix, Jeremy Beadle and that old man, Grandad
- all given their own portraits for swift and recognisable identification
and all ready to die for the cause.
The game is very much in the vein of the old Mike Singleton classic,
the Lords of Midnight on the Spectrum, but with simpler gameplay.
It's all very simple and relatively untaxing but quite addictive. The
starstruck heroes are purely superficial and it would have been nice to
see more to the title especially when put next to the Grandad series
but the Glass Buttock of Tharg is well worth taking a look at for some-
thing a little bit different to pass the time of day.
Long live King Buttock!
Financier 2
Programmed by: Kevin Munro
Available from: Caledonia PDL Disk No AU-218
This comprehensive utility helps the user to keep track and in control of
their finances, While some of us are sticklers for keeping tabs on our
accounts, others have enormous difficulty in being motivated enough to
keep hold of every little receipt that can then be put into storage with all
the others from the last ten years.
Financier 2 is ideal for keeping an eye on your pennies by
keeping the records on disk with the ability to store hundreds of differ-
ent entries. With the fast search and personalised statements options, this
can be ^ery helpful for small business use and customers accounts.
Also included is a card file program to organise business cards or
addresses for the home. It's possible to import or export files to your
spreadsheet or database because the utility has the same data file that
your mail merge program has. Financier 2 is well worth taking a
look at for a cheap but effective budgeting tool for your ST.
Desk File Entries Account Output Options
t. :i H;r.; l IJ MH ! V l
\*MU
Date 25/12/1993 DEFER? ?ES |
Description Tina flank Account
- debit £i8eeeee„ HWTl I r""T1
* CREDIT lo! Ho!__ fcWl i PARCEL J
AHflLVSiS CODES Budget BCD Type NIL COMMIT i
Get organised with Financier mark 2...
Atari ST User February 1994
PD and shareware
The Never Ending
Colouring Book
Programmed by:Tony Gooding
Available from: Merlin PD Disk No MPD 1 660
Computers are gradually taking over the
world. They've steadily replaced most things
practical from the typewriter to people's
jobs. Now, the colouring book has been
made redundant by this rather simple but
rather good program from Tenesoft
Productions.
No longer are crayons and paints needed
for the children to turn the living room into a
post-modernist mess worthy of a mention on
the Late Show - now the ST provides preset
pictures with no colour and a painting palette
for kids to stick their technological paint-
brush and pencil into. By simply clicking on
the colour you want and selecting the Fill
option, shapes can be coloured and even
<^ ^^ ^
changed or started from new with the
drawing button.
The whole package is very simple to use and
comes with ten pre-drawn images from Donald
Duck to a racing snail. The only problem is
that some children might find creating a
solid shape with the pencil utility a little
difficult because above a certain speed,
the line breaks up. This makes filling in
impossible because it spills out over the
rest of the screen.
Other than this, the Never Ending Colouring
Book is a user friendly bit of fun and most impor-
tantly, unmessy "edutainment" for young sprogs.
Tri-Heli 2
Programmed by: Janet Dean & Cathy Steinbach
Available from: Emerald City Disk No SG74
Strange games sometimes surface in the public domain which would
probably not make it to the screen in these days of large corporations
producing more and more mass market formula driven titles.
Less risks are being taken to ensure that sales targets are met and
the development budget is justified. This attitude is very similar to the
film set up in Hollywood - if it doesn't have tried and tested
idea/star/plot then the money men get itchy feet
Like the independent film-makers in the rest of the world who are
prepared to take a gamble, PD is prepared to experiment a little as well
and unlike the indies, have the advantage of little or no overheads and
the ideal environment of being able to do what the hell they like.
Tri-Heli 2 is an example of a odd mix of game styles taken from the
like of Chopperlift and Boulderdash where a helicopter must be guided
over a flat landscape. Under the ground, diamonds sit waiting to dug up
or in this case, blown out of hiding with bombs.
Using a limited amount of ammo, the player must collect two per
level and return each in turn to the base. While this is going on, an
enemy plane flies overhead, and will either dropping a huge ball of dirt
to cover the blowhole and destroy any flying mechanism that may be
hovering in it, or place a turret on the ground that fires a laser beam
directly at the unsuspecting player.
As each stage prog-resses, the land becomes higher and higher, making
the gap between the hostile craft and the shafts to the jewellery
smaller and therefore the situation more vulnerable.
On first playing,
the graphics put
you off because of
the crude. Spec-
trum look.
Under-neath the
surface though,
lies an addictive
and frustrating
program where
that one more go
gradually creeps
up on you as you
to try and
progress to the
next level. A curi-
ous and original
title but one well
worth taking a
look a1: Shoot the ground, grab the diamond and get out
before you're trapped by dirt
Freaked Out 2
Programmed by: Chris Sharp
Available from: LAPD
Fans of Oxyd have probably finished the
highly regarded game months ago and
are waiting for the next instalment with
baited breath.
Until it hopefully surfaces, Freaked
Out 2, while not being of the same clas-
sic stature of the aforementioned, is still
a reasonable stab at puzzle-oriented
arcade action.
The plot revolves round your spaceship
that has broken down and subsequently
hurled into some sort of strange world
where you must guide your ship from
the start position to the exit across the
other side of the screen to escape onto
the next level, taking another step on
the road to freedom. Between you and
this freedom are various floortraps, direc-
tional dictation arrows, creatures from other
Rush from start to finish before the time
limit runs out
dimensions and other assorted baddies. The
game is relatively good fun if decidedly rough
round the edges when compared to the
professional presentation and feel of Oxyd. For
the time being though, this will have to suffice
until something better comes along.
Atari ST User February 1994
Lay your hands
on me...
Caledonia PDL
250 Oldtown Road, Hilton
Inverness IV2 4PT
Tel: 0463 225736
Emerald City
PO Box 28
Southampton S9 7HS
Tel: 0703 672577
Floppyshop
PO Box 273
Aberdeen AB9 8SJ
Tel: 0224 586208
LAPD
80 Lee Lane, Langley
Heanor DE75 7HN
Tel: 0773 605010
Merlin PD
I I Grange Close, Minchinhampton
Stroud GL69DF
Tel: (0453) 882793
Power PD
3 Salisbury Road
Maidstone ME 1 4 2TY
Atari ST User February 1994
utility
w;
5 [ Her
Ccnfig
Beginning Hay back w
distributed only as
Beginning Nith uersi
Upgrades frcn any ue
version prior to 2,3
letter on the end, s|
Has earlier than the
If yoi wish to share
should use the DErlO
FREEWARE folder on y
it. Also note that |
note taker, that
UERY little RfiH,
If your disk has bat
sane except for the
create a PRG version
the subject nf nanin
(ConpuServe navigato
boot tine, since tha
Then we iast reviewed EdHak,
then at v2, about eight
months ago, we found it
below par in several depart-
ments. Now with the release of an
improved v3, most of the problems seem
to have been addressed, making it look
pretty good value for such a versatile
utility.
So just what does EdHak do? It is a
small utility program that can be used for
editing just about any type of file from
plain Ascii text files such as README
documents to binary files like programs
and resource files. It doesn't stop there
though - EdHak will also read disk
sectors on hard and floppy disks and
even let you hack into your ST's internal
memory, byte by byte.
The program comes on a single disk
with a useful 50-page A5 manual and
several other utilities. The manual is
packed with information on hacking into
boot and other disk sectors Desk File View
and areas of RAM and contains
comprehensive information on
Ascii codes and the Atari char-
acter set.
It contains a full list of
keyboard short-cuts and
has a useful appendix
dealing with importing
and exporting files from
other computer platforms.
EdHak works either as a
program which can be run
from the desktop in the normal
way, or as a desk accessory.
Obviously desk accessories are
far more flexible, as they can
be called up from within other
programs but there is a memory
overhead to be taken into
account
As EdHak uses up some I 16k
in its full configuration, it
takes quite a chunk out
of a 1 040 ST or even a
2Mb machine.
However, there is a cut-
down version called Diary
supplied on the distribution
disk that takes up only 22k.
Where v2 had a strangely
inflexible windowing system,
either full or half screen, the
new one has a fully resizable
and movable GEM style
window with a horizontal scroll
bar which is a big improvement.
Unfortunately the rather clumsy menu
still exists. Instead of having several
menu headings in the usual GEM style,
there is a single menu that drops down
to reveal a double column of 16 options.
Selecting these brings up relevant
dialogues but this rather bizarre nesting
system means that accessing some
important functions, such as font and
buffer size or editing mode, takes at least
three or four mouse clicks.
What's more, there's a distinct
tendency to miss the EdHak menu and
catch the GEM desktop ones instead
which is far from merely irritating - it's
damned annoying.
Other major changes include the abil-
ity to use smaller versions of the system
fonts, extra block handling operations,
Polished
text tool
Andrew Wright looks at the new EdHak, a commercial
text editor which has recently jumped forward in
leaps and bound
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Online help is always available
enhanced macro selection and scores of
minor improvements and bug fixes.
Block handling changes now include
support for columns, the ability to apply
quotes to a marked block and a complete
set of dedicated drop down menus for
block operations.
Perhaps EdHak's most intriguing
feature, which now works in the program
version under MultiTOS, is the ability to
send text to the keyboard buffer and
hence on to another application using its
"kwiksend" facility.
Any size block can be sent in this way
and it works with many programs includ-
ing That's Write, Firstword Plus and
PageStream.
EdHak has three standard modes. Text
mode is for everyday use as a text editor
and programming tool.
It could easily be used for word
processing, as it has all the familiar
features like search and replace, word
wrap, block cut, paste and delete and up
to ten 80 character macros corresponding
to each of the ten function keys.
In hack mode, all the characters are
shown in lines 64 characters long and in
hex mode they are displayed in the same
form in hexadecimal equivalents. Placing
the cursor on any character reveals its
Ascii code in the status bar that appears in
the window bar itself.
The number of the byte or character in
the file is also shown, so you can easily
find, for example, the 99th byte in a file by
a simple trial and error process.
Another strength is the program's abil-
ity to handle files of almost unlimited size
- its intelligent loading routines will read
part of a large file into memory and buffer
the rest on disk until it is required. In this
way you can edit and hack big program or
data files on a standard 520 ST.
If all you need is a cheap and cheerful
way of editing Ascii files, there are much
cheaper alternatives in the public domain
but if you need more - such as the ability
to hack into your ST's memory, examine
disks and even co-operate with other
programs such as QuickCIS and STalker,
EdHak 3.0 represents much better value
than its predecessors.
It can hold its head up in a crowded
market and it even works out cheaper
than registering some of the shareware
competition.
BOTTOM LINE
FEATURES Excellent
Interesting features and highly Average*
flpxihlp Bad
" BX "" 8, flppalling
EASE OF USE Excellent
Good
Easy to use on the whole but the anz&HSHBI
interlace could do with a rethink. J3 sd ,, . ^
Appalling
VALUE FOR MONEY Excellent
Not bad — the handy manual ESHGET3BH
makes it worth a look. H ad " ~
Appalling
Supplier: Dougl
PO Box 113
Stockport SK2 6HW
-"i! 061-456 9587
i: £14.99
ion: All Ataris in
Atari ST User February 1 994
"J
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Not only do you already know the latest news and
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Atari ST User February 1 994 49
A few months ago, multitasking
on the Atari ST was limited to
a few simple task switchers.
But then, together with Atari's
MultiTOS, third-party developers also
joined the arena.
Mag!x (sic), or the Multi Application
Graphics Interface extension, actually
pre-dates MultiTOS and can lay claim to
being the first multitasking system for
the ST - if we ignore the simple task
switchers.
Now at v2, it adds a number of new
features and is more compatible with
Atari's MultiTOS. However, before we
plunge in, a few words about multitask-
ing in general, since there seems to be a
lot of misunderstanding of the subject
even among assorted so-called Atari
experts.
There are basically two types of multi-
tasking: pre-emptive and co-operative.
The latter requires programs to behave
and co-operate with each other. Pre-
emptive, on the other hand is much
more rugged and multitasks whether the
programs want it or not.
Mag!x 1 .0 was born as a co-operative
system which would multitask only when
a program issued a GEM call. Mag!x 2.0,
however, has grown into a full-blooded
pre-emptive multitasking system where
Just
the total available time is sliced up into
(you guessed it) "time-slices". These
units of processing power are then
divided up among various programs.
There is a twist in Maglx, however,
because it doesn't work with priorities
like MultiTOS where you can individually
set the fixed amount of time each
program gets.
instead, Maglx employs dynamic
prioritisation. In other words the system
adapts itself dynamically to user actions.
This results in immediate response and
background tasks are executed only
when there is time.
Sometimes, during heavy user activity,
the background tasks will be forced to
execute so that they don't go completely
to sleep but, in general, Maglx continues
to favour the user for as long as possible.
Because of this Maglx feels faster than
any of the competition. This is conve-
nient for the typical user but the experi-
enced programmer might prefer the
freedom of setting the priorities individu-
ally.
The focus on speed is also reflected in
the fact that Maglx wastes less than one
per cent overhead for multitasking - that
is to say, it's almost as fast as a single-
tasking system. Actually, multitasking
Maglx is faster than single-tasking GEM!
To install Maglx simply run the instal-
lation program. The program can run
with a minimum of 1Mb of memory but
as with all multitasking, the more you
have the better.
In the installation program you can
select the default resolution and where
:i! com paiel ic
;*:-. ML MEL |Q
'-Hagini-vwJUUm-
1 | Fastlead
D TQS-KinpatibilitJt
3 Snsrt him
i I Brut" iind Shrinkton
i i Halt nach TOS-Progrannen
! ■_ Pull-Dortfiiis
Zc itsuhsibandauc" Ins!: ;
il^llte --- 1»
Hintemrufiiiiinnritat:
' |*i: Bi:itf- - 1* 1 ■
' ! S Praeifltivss Unit i tasking
|iggji|nn B3
\mm\ nn \ss\
to boot from. This can be either your
hard disk boot partition or a floppy.
Next, you can set the default directories
for ACC, Auto-APP and scrap files.
If you leave the ACC setting empty,
the system will load accessories as usual
from the root, but it's much neater to
have all your accessories in a folder.
Auto-APP folder is where all GEM
applications you wish to run at boot time
are stored. When Maglx comes up all
these application will then already be up
and running as separate tasks. If you
leave this setting empty no APPs will be
run at boot time.
If after installing Maglx you later wish
to run your old GEM setup again simply
hold down both Shift keys during the
boot procedure and Maglx will not come
up-
Various Maglx presets and configura-
■ike
Two CPX
modules used to
configure Mag!x
tasking TOS but reveal their latent bugs
in a multitasking environment.
Smart redraw is exactly that, it avoids
unnecessary GEM redraws and so speeds
up screen display. The screen is further
accelerated by turning off the
grow/shrink box animation effects. You
can also change the way menus appear
by choosing between GEM drop-down
or pull-down menus.
Actually, these are not real Mac-like
pull-down menus but click-down menus.
When this mode is on the menus will
not drop down if you accidentally move
the mouse into the menu bar area,
instead you must click on the menu
before it drops down.
TSLICE.CPX let's you set the duration
of each time slice in milliseconds (from 5
to 50) and the ratio of foreground to
background processing time (from 1:1 to
1 :64).
Default settings are 1 0ms and 1:32.
The higher the time slice value the less
overhead there will be but the multitask-
ing will not be as smooth.
The lower the ratio, the more equally
will the time be divided up between
foreground and background tasks. So at
a ratio of 1:1, Maglx will behave like any
other pre-emptive operating system.
that!
Now you can switch from program to
program in an instant, navigating with
ease and efficiency, thanks to Maglx, a
sophisticated third-party multitasking
desktop. Don Maple waves his wand
tions are performed either in the
MAGX.INF file or using the two supplied
CPX modules which require you to have
XCONTR.OL installed on your system.
MAGXCONF.CPX configures various
system features. Fastload invokes fast
floppy access. TOS compatibility takes
care of programs which run OK in single
MAGXDESK File view Sort Options
D:\MflOIX\*,*
563159 bytes in 15 objects
RSC
DOC
AUTO
BIN
CPX
6EMSYS
GERMAN
ICNEDIT
I HCMD
I UTILITY
! ZUSflTZ
D0N_MAGX LZH
MAG!X RAM
MAGX INF
MGFORM LZH
PROBLEMS TXT
README TXT
Finally, in this CPX the user
can also turn off pre-emptive
multitasking completely and run
Maglx as a co-operative system.
MAGX.INF file allows you to
set all of the above and much
more such as environment path,
shell defaults and font defaults,
to name a few. The commented
listing explains all individual
setting in detail.
MAGXDESK is the default Maglx
replacement desktop. Maglx can handle
up to 64 windows. Two features stand
out in a Maglx window: the backdrop
button used to push a window/task into
the background, and - a more cosmetic
feature - the dot in front of executable
files which makes them stand out nicely.
Clicking on the
greyed-out area
of a window's
horizontal bar
shows the
amount of free
space on that
disk/partition.
MAGXDESK also
supports
movable alerts
and keyboard
short-cuts both
within dialogue
boxes and
menus.
TOS or TTP
are
programs
Default Maglx Desktop called
MAGXDESK running multiple applications
automatically put into a window so that
the Desktop is not disturbed. This task is
III Atari ST User February 1994
multitasking
taken over by the VT52 program which
has its own menu bar and opens the
window within which the TOS program
runs.
However, because all of this requires
more work, TOS/TTP programs run
slightly slower in a VT52 window.
Switching between tasks is done by
clicking in the upper right corner of the
screen. A "secret" menu then appears
listing all tasks with a checkmark next to
the currently active one.
This is similar to the way tasks are
activated under MultiTOS where they
are listed underneath accessories.
However, in Mag!x this menu also has
options to launch new applications and
to tidy up the desktop if it's been
destroyed by some rude program.
You are not limited to MAGXDESK,
as the system is capable of running other
replacement Desktops, the most popular
of which seems to be Ease, by
A programmer's paradise
Mag!x is particularly attractive for programmers as it offers a number of improve-
ments and features over the standard TOS, and yet to a large extent is MultiTOS
compliant. There is also a C library on disk to take advantage of these new capabilities.
To get an "under the hood*' look at multitasking press Ctrl-Alt-Esc to invoke the
task manager which lists all currently active programs. Each line shows the application
ID and name, its state ("ready", "waiting" or "running") and what particular event it
is waiting for (all possible GEM events are shown), as well as the amount of memory
occupied. The tasks can then be manipulated by, for example, freezing them or freeing
them up.
WW ft
IN 111
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Desktop menu functions at a glance
Application Systems of Heidelberg.
There are several utility and demo
programs supplied with Mag!x. The
demos include a clock and magnifying
glass, which are a wery good way of
demonstrating multitasking at work.
Maglx has its own icon format so an
icon editor is provided to create and
customise your own icons. A whole
myriad of default icons are included as
are additional programs for conversion
between RSC and Mag!x formats.
A comprehensive and powerful CMD
command shell has over 30 built-in
commands as well as a bunch of external
commands provided in the BIN folder.
There are also a couple of memory
management utilities: MEMEXAMN
shows all memory segments with their
owners and LIMITMEM sets the maxi-
mum available memory to a program.
And unlike MultiTOS, under Maglx each
Bytes
BlltCS
Bytes
Bytes
r.tip! prev I Space: mt ! F: Freeze I D: Control
rJii: nut i Return: Snitch i U: Unfreeze I Del; Teminate
Pressing Esc-Control-Alternate
invokes Maglx' task manager
program can be assigned a different
amount of memory.
One important facet of multitasking is
the ability to "talk" to other tasks.
Unfortunately the only way to do that
under Maglx is via the Clipboard. Other
more sophisticated ways of interprocess
communication - such as semaphores
and pipes in MultiTOS
- are at this time not
available, although
they are under devel-
opment.
The other impor-
tant facet of multi-
tasking is memory
management as
provided by the
PMMU (Paged
Memory Management
Unit). MultiTOS
supports it while
Maglx doesn't.
PMMU is a piece of
hardware (either as a
separate chip or incorporated in the
main processor) that "watches" over
programs and only allows access to a
program's own memory. This prevents
programs from running wild and crashing
the whole system. However, this applies
only to machines with a PMMU such as
the TT.
Both BIOS and XBIOS under Maglx
are re-entrant, as is the AES. That is to
say, any system call can interrupt any
other system call. This can carry on for
as long as there is stack space.
New Maglx AES functions correspond
to all of the new MultiTOS functions and
more. Programs can be invoked by other
programs and run in parallel. Other AES
improvements comprise new object
types.
The Mag!x manual is very good espe-
cially when compared to anorexic
MultiTOS documentation. The first half
of the Maglx manual explains the installa-
tion and usage of supplied programs.
The second half, the reference
section, is especially attractive for
programmers as all new routines and
improvements over old system routines
are clearly explained with examples.
So how does Maglx measure up
against the competition? Geneva as a co-
operative system is on the outset infe-
rior to a pre-emptive system. It's also in
its early development stages while Maglx
2.0 has been around much longer and is
very stable.
The comparison with MultiTOS is
closer and also more important. The
biggest drawback of Maglx is that it does
not run on the Falcon. However, the
programmers are hard at work even as
we speak to rectify this.
There are also other features of
MultiTOS not available in Maglx (again
under development) but Maglx also has
features not available under MultiTOS.
The biggest plus is its speed. It's like
running an accelerator and getting the
multitasking thrown in for free. This
makes it particularly attractive for
owners of older and less powerful STs
on which MultiTOS is so slow it's almost
unusable.
And in Germany, Maglx is quite popu-
lar, and Maglx-awareness is a must for
n
Mag!X
MaglX uOZ.SO von 31,10.1393
Maglx version
8 91-93 bu Andreas Kronke,
Sven & Wilfried Behne
2.0: a new
powerful
multitasking
„,,..,„. „.. ««, „»,„„,„,
system from
1 OK 1
Germany
any new application programs being
developed today.
BOTTOM LINE
Very fast for the user hut the Average
programmer may require
more teatures. Does not run
Average
Sad
Appalling
For the user very intuitive
and the programmer gets all
the help in the manual.
VALUE FOR MONEY PBgEGM P
Goad ^
A good investment Average
especially for owners of |j ad ,,,
■I e.-r Appalling
older STs.
Atari ST User February 1994
BEST FOR VALUE
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ARC12 BELUM INTERACTUM -
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WIDOW MAKER, SLALOM &
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ARC 20 BLAT. Superb STE
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Great graphics.
ARC37 LLAMATRON and
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ARC43/44 PSYCHOP1G 2. 2
Disks at lmg only £2.50.
ARC53 REBOUND. Super bat
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WPR01 ST WRITER V4.2 and
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WPR03 ALICE. Super text
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Super little text editor. Ideal for
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Make temporary notes from
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PHONEPAD. Pop up telephone
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ORGANISER. Everything a
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much more in these two
programm. TYPEWRITE - Turn
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WPR 09 LEXICON. A pure word
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BRDOl MONOPOLY, LAZER-
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WHEEL OF FORTUNE and more.
A superb collection of BOARD
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BRD 16 COURSE FISHERMAN.
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ADV 01 DDST. DUNGEONS &
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ADV 27 FATEMASTER. Fantasy
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AST 01 PLANETARIUM simply
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ODD07 THE WORLD OF
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TREKKIES!!!
ART 07 Superb art package,
ideal for simple DTP, 23 built-in
fonts. A4 size paper works in
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print. Ideal for leaflets etc. DS
Disk,
UTL134 SAGROTAN. Must be
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V.KILLER v3.84. Another
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EXORCIST. The latest version
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Repairs hard drive boot sector.
RIPPER and PROBE. Two
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graphics from disks and
more...
UTL144 ZX SPECTRUM
EMULATOR. Needs 1Mb
SPECTRUM to ST
DOWNLOADER. Gives details
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Dustcovers
Mouse & Joystick
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Mouse Mats
10 blank disks
inc. labels
£4.75
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We also have a selection of 46 commercial games at under £3.00 each
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Family Roots is an invaluable aid to both professional and amateur genealogists. It is
designed around an integrated workbench which allows you to create your family tree
graphically on the screen by linking directly between the individuals. The powerful
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To order your copy of Family Roots, send a cheque or postal order for £24.95 to the
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A disk with useable demos ill' Family Routs, Around The Wurld. Stone Cold Soher and Professional Virus.
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PUBLIC DOMAIN AND SHAREWARE
for the ST, STE and FALCON
After many years supporting the Atari ST, Floppyshop were the first company to offer PD
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are disk based and simple to use. It has a powerful search facility and can output to printer
if required. Floppyshop are also distributors of the Budgie UK Licenseware range. For a free
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COMING SOON...
ChromaStudio 24 - The Ultimate Graphic Tool for your Atari Falcon, is in the final
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CM 101:
CM 111:
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GM 119:
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Psyco Pig 2 (2 disks)
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Alice in Wonderland
GAMES & ADVENTURES
GM 109: Colour Clash
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MUSIC AND MIDI
Alchime jr. Sequencer +200 tracks
Kawai KloK2, Hi-res, 1Mb
Yamaha SY22 Editor, Hi-res, 1 Mb
Guitar Professional, learn those chords
Roland 'D' series Sound Banks
ART AND GRAPHICS
Paintpot, best half meg package
Metafile Format Objects
Creative Titles, Video titler
Atari Image Manager VI .96, 2 disks
Crackart VI .0 with ENGLISH docs, 1 Mb
Crackart VI .36 NO english doc (yet), 1 Mb
EDUCATIONAL
Maths Test, for the under 10's
Body Search, Basic Human Anatomy
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CIA World Factbook, Info on over 240 countries, 4 disks
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ST Writer Elite
Printing Press
DB Writer
WPD 03:
WPD 22
WPD 24:
Typing Tutor
Printing Press extras
DB Writer support disk
UTILITIES
Award Maker, create your own certificates
DB Master, create your own database
5 Databases, one has got to do the job
70,000 word spell checker
German Translate, 27,000 words
Catalogue with FREE PD £1 .00 or 50p with order
Disk prices: £1.50 each
Atari ST User February 1994
programming
Lots to dc
and
dialog
Firstly, load ;
RCS (Resour<
Construction !
into your ST.
If you don't
have an RCS,
get one - any
will do. I used a
public domai
program to
the dialogue
the CoverDisk.
Now read
OTHELLO. RSC file on the
CoverDisk into your RCS. If you're using
it, it will also read OTHELLO.DEF, to
assign symbolic names, otherwise your
documentation will explain how to assign
names, and later on I'll explain why you'd
want to.
The first thing you'll see is an icon
representing a dialogue box. Double-
click on it and the new Othello dialogue
box will be displayed.
The box was built by moving items
from the parts box, stretching or shrink-
ing them, putting them where I wanted
them to be, then changing their attrib-
utes by double-clicking on the object.
The trick lies in knowing what the attrib-
utes are and what you can do with them.
A dialogue box consists of a tree - a
hierarchy - of OBJECT structures. The
root of the tree is the box surrounding
the dialogue, and its children
are the OBJECTS which lie
within that box - buttons,
strings, and the rest.
Any of these children can
also have children - all the
items inside them - and so
on. All OBJECTS which lie
entirely within another are
its children - the grandchil-
dren of that OBJECT'S
parent.
This can get pretty
complicated, and that's why
you're using an RCS to build
the dialogue box - it takes
care of the details, leaving
you to concentrate on
designing your box.
There are eight different
kinds of OBJECTs available for your
dialogue box: boxes, boxchars, buttons,
strings and TEDINFO structures. For
now, we'll ignore the remaining three -
icons, images and user-defined objects.
Boxes are just rectangles on the
screen, which may or may not be actu-
ally drawn as boxes. If you examine the
attributes of a box, such as the one
encompassing our Othello dialogue, then
you'll see an attribute, Thickness, which
can be adjusted to set the thickness of
the line which outlines your box.
If its thickness is zero, your box will
not be drawn on the screen, but simply
groups together a lot of other OBJECTs
as its children.
A boxchar is a box with a single char-
acter displayed at its centre, while a
button is a box with an entire string
displayed at its centre. And a string, of
course, is just a text string displayed in
your dialogue box. Finally, a TEDINFO
Roy Stead opens up
dialogue and starts
to make things
happen with his
Othello program
letters and space; n for any letters,
numbers or a space; F for all valid file-
name characters plus ?, * and : ; p for all
valid filename and pathname characters
plus \ and : ; P for all valid file and path-
name characters plus ?, *, \ and : ; and,
finally, an X permits anything to be typed
at that position.
One word of warning; If the first char-
acter is an @ symbol, then the
TEDINFO will be displayed as if blank
regardless of what comes after it (useful
for password entry).
From EDITABLE, we can go on to the
rest of the flags which can be associated
with any OBJECT. And remember the
"any" in that sentence.
If an object is selectable then it will be
inverted when the user clicks on it, and
have its state set to selected. Clicking on
it again will reverse the action.
If the EXIT flag is set then the dialogue
box will terminate when the user clicks
on that object and the object - if it's a
button - will be drawn with a double-
thick border. But, remember, the user
can only really click on the object if it is
also selectable.
The TOUCHEXIT flag also causes the
dialogue to terminate when the OBJECT
is clicked, but doesn't provide the
double-thick border to a button.
TOUCHEXIT also offers another
feature, which is dealt with later on.
If an OBJECT has its DEFAULT flag
set then it's drawn with a treble-thick
border. The DEFAULT object is the one
xed in
structure. These are used in our dialogue
for the player's names, and are a special
kind of string which can be drawn in any
colour or different fonts, and positioned
to the left, the right or centred within a
box; the thickness can be set just as with
any other box.
If the EDITABLE flag is set on a
TEDINFO structure, then the user will
be able to edit the text inside it when
the dialogue box is in use.
Incidentally, the Template field of a
TEDINFO is what is displayed in it when
there is no text at that point, while the
Validation field is used to set the sort of
characters which the user is able to type
at that point in the string.
Characters which can be used for this
are 9, which allows only a digit from to
9 to be typed at that position; A, which
allows only upper-case letters and spaces
to be typed (a allows any letters and
spaces); N for numbers, upper-case
activated by pressing the RETURN key,
as well as by clicking on it.
To turn to object states: Aside from
SELECTED, which I've already
mentioned, states available are
CROSSED, CHECKED, OUTLINED and
SHADOWED.
These are fairly self-explanatory, being
concerned with the object's appearance
only. The final state, DISABLED, causes
the object to be shown greyed out, indi-
cating that it is not available for use.
When setting DISABLED, however,
remember also to switch off the SELEC-
TABLE flag.
An object's flags are held as a BitMap
in an int, ob_flags, in that OBJECT'S
structure. Its states are held in the same
way in the field ob_state, which is also an
int. If an OBJECT has no flags set, or to
switch off those already set, use the
name NONE. The equivalent symbolic
Atari ST User February 1994
programming
,-
name for states is NORMAL.
We've mentioned all of the states
now, and all bar one of the flags. The
final flag is called RBUT
TON, for Radio Button,
and is named for the
station-selection
buttons on a
radio which,
when you
push one in,
all of the
others pop
out so that
only one is
switched on at any
one time.
Radio buttons are used in
three places in our Otheilo dialogue, and
they are set up quite easily - the group
of radio buttons are all gathered
together as the children of a single
box, and each has its RBUTTON
flag set. GEM itself takes care of
the fact that only one is to be
switched on at any one time.
We could talk for hours about
OBJECTS, but the best way to
learn about them is to play with
the different attributes from
inside your RCS. For now, we'll
move on to how to make use of a
dialogue tree once you've saved it
out as a .RSC file.
When you save the dialogue,
you will notice that a header file with the
same name is created. This contains the
symbolic names - which you assigned to
the objects - to be used to refer to the
different items in the box. The first of
these we're interested in is the name
given to the box itself.
But the first thing to do is to load our
.RSC file into our program. We do this
by calling rsrc_load() with a single argu-
ment - a string containing the name of
the file. If there's an error, zero will be
returned, otherwise the file loaded OK
and we can proceed.
Before our program exits, incidentally,
we'll have to make a call to rsrc_free() -
no arguments - to free up the memory
taken up by the .RSC file. All of this is
done, in Othello, in the GRAPH.C file.
When we come to use the dialogue,
we need to call rsrc_gaddr() to find out
the address of its OBJECT tree. This
function takes three arguments. For
simplicity's sake, you can always use the
symbol R_TREE for the first argument.
The second is the name given to the
dialogue box's root object (in this case,
OTHELLO), while the third is a pointer
to an OBJECT pointer. After the call, the
OBJECT pointer will be set to point at
our dialogue box's object tree, which is a
simple memory block just like any other.
This, and all that follows, can be found in
D1ALOG.C on the CoverDisk.
After all that we've covered, actually
executing a dialogue box is a piece of
cake. The first thing is to make a
form_center() call, like so:
form_center ( tree, 8rect.g_x,
Srec t . g_y / &rect.g_w, Srect.gji );
Where (OBJECT *)tree was set by the
rsrc_gaddr() call, and (GRECT)rect is to
be set to the screen rectangle of our
dialogue box - which has now been
centred on the screen.
The next stage is to make one or two
form_dial{) calls. The first uses the
symbol FMD_START and is mandatory.
This is used to tell GEM to reserve an
area of the screen for our box.
The second - using FMD_GROW - is
optional, and simply draws a Zoom Out
box from the centre of the screen to
where our dialogue box will be.
form_dial() takes nine arguments. The
first is the symbolic name mentioned
above, the following four are all going to
be zero, and the final four ints make up a
GRECT for the screen rectangle to
affect. So:
formJiaL C FMDJTART, 0, 0, 0, 0,
rect );
will reserve the screen rectangle
described in (GRECT)rect, ready for
our dialogue box. Once we've finished
with our dialogue box, incidentally,
we make one or two more form_dial()
calls.
The first, this time with the symbol
FMD_SHRINK, is optional - drawing a
shrinking zoom box. The second - using
FMD_FINISH - is mandatory, and
restores the rectangle used by the
dialogue box for the use of the rest of
the GEM system, automatically sending
redraw messages to any corrupted
windows.
In between the form_dial() calls, we
want to first draw our box and then
execute it. The first is carried out by an
objc_draw() call:
objcJtra.il £ tree, objjio, MAXJ.EVEL,
rect );
Here, (OBJECT *)tree and (GRECT)rect
are as before and MAX_LEVEL is a stan-
dard symbolic name to indicate that the
object, and all its descendants, are to be
drawn (if you use zero here, only the
object itself will be drawn; I to draw its
children also; 2 to include grandchildren,
and so on).
The obj_no value is an int which is the
offset of the object to draw - for which
you just use the symbolic name from the
RCS, which was later saved out in the
header file. Since we're initially drawing
the entire dialogue box, you would use
OTHELLO in place of the (int)obj_no
value.
The final thing to do is to actually
execute the dialogue box, and this is
done using a form_do() call. form_do()
takes two argument - the pointer to the
OBJECT tree and an offset to the
OBJECT which the edit cursor is to
initially be within. If there are no
EDITABLE OBJECTs, you should use
zero for the second value.
GEM will then take care of everything
else for you, leaving form_do() only
when an object with the EXIT or
TOUCHEXIT flags set is selected by the
user, and returning an int which is the
offset to the object clicked on to exit the
dialogue.
If the object was a TOUCHEXIT then
the high-bit of the returned value (&
0x8000) will be set if a double-click was
used to exit the dialogue box.
And manipulating and examining the
array of structures which make up the
dialogue box's OBJECT tree can be done
as easily as with any other array of
structs - examples abound throughout
the DIALOG. C file.
• Next month, in the last column of this
series, we'll convert Othello into a desk
accessory and tie up a few loose ends.
Getting
to grips
with C
Did you miss out on a free copy of HiSoft C,
given away with the April issue of Atari ST
User?
Or maybe you missed one or more parts
ling in C?
dit card details to
051-357 1275.
Alternatively, send £3.50 for each issue
required. Cheques/ Eurocheques should be
made payable to Europress Direct and —
Freepost, Elk
3EB.
Atari ST User February 1994
letters
Too much Falcon
Whoa! Stop! Cease! The Falcon is a most
wonderful piece of kit, on that we are all
agreed. However, at the moment it is far too
expensive.
My experience with the ST has taught me
that the Falcon will be next to useless without
at the very least 4Mb of memory and a hard
drive exceeding 1 00Mb.
At £900 this is out of my price range. I have
invested a lot of time and money on software
and hardware for my ST, which I am reluctant
to give up without good cause.
The point of this letter is not to denigrate
the Falcon, but merely to point out that I shall
not be buying the machine within the foresee-
able future.
As such I am fed up with buying your maga-
zine, which is supposed to be for my ST
computer but which appears to be for the
Falcon, with an occasional article thrown in for
the ST.
Enough is enough, let's get back to the ST,
thank you very much.
D. McGeachie, Nottinghamshire
Our readership is spiit between people who
use their Atari computer for games and
home productivity software, enthusiasts
and professional desktop publishers and
musicians.
Some readers fall into more than one
category but the single thing that unites
them is their interest and enthusiasm for all
things Atari.
The Falcon is a step forward in terms of
technology, and although it remains finan-
cially out of reach of most readers a recent
reader survey showed most want to read
about it.
Nearly all new software released for
Atari computers has been launched
because of the Falcon's improved capabil-
ity but is compatible with older machines.
When it is reviewed we mention which
features are not available on STs, ensuring
readers can make buying decisions based
on what they read. Even after saying this,
Got anything to say to the ST community?
Then this is your soapbox
Now
most editorial space in Atari ST User
continues to be given advising readers how
to get the most from the ST.
My kids buy porn
I have just discovered that my kids and their
friends have been obtaining pornographic disks
from New Age PDL advertised in your maga-
zine.
There are quite enough public domain disks
to sell and distribute without the above -
quite unnecessary in my opinion.
The ads in my house have been thrown in
the fire but I had to go round the other
parents concerned, which was very embarrass-
ing for ali of us.
Some parents were furious with their kids -
and with me for providing the magazine which
was the source of the advert for these disks.
I am not particularly a prude but to supply
disks like this to children - it must have been
obvious from their handwriting which is far
from adult- is disgusting.
Until you stop supporting this firm I shall
Needing support
£25
Prize
Letter
Since May I have been the proud owner of a Falcon and enjoy using it very
much. I've never before seen such a user-friendly operating system and been
able to do whatever I wanted in just a few days.
There is still a problem, however. Most of the games and some of the
other software I used on my ST don't work. I wasn't surprised, since I am
aware that I am dealing with a computer containing different internal hardware.
What surprises me, however, is that software houses don't get their new ST titles to run on
the Falcon as well. This can't be too hard to achieve, I guess. Why, for example, doesn't Zool
run on a Falcon? It would be a perfect game for my favourite bird with its blitter and 32-bit
processor. And so would other games.
Luckily, I recently got hold of a program called Backward which claims to be an ST emulator.
It turns off some chips which are not in the ST, sets the clock speed to 8MHz and does other
clever things too. It works fine and now I am able to play about 70 per cent of my games.
Some are even at improved speed. Try, for example, Midwinter I and 2, Fl GP, F-19,
Populous II and more games that can use speed-improvements. Therefore, I think it's quite a
shame to see that some newer titles - like Dogfight and Civilisation - don't work on the Falcon,
not even with Backward.
Is there a way to persuade the software houses to write Falcon-compatible software? I think
Falcon owners should start writing letters to ask them to give in to our pleas.
That way the Atari market will become more profitable for them and all Atari users will be
happier. What more can you wish for? More Falcon-specific software.
Peter Laros, The Netherlands
Most productivity and professional application software is now enhanced for use with
the Falcon, although as you say Peter, nearly all games remain incompatible.
Atari say they are planning to launch five Falcon games within the next few weeks,
and I believe Daze Marketing have a couple of titles due before summer.
stop supporting you. Remember this is my
money that supports you, the ST, the hardware
and software suppliers, ignore us at your peril.
We don't need you, you need us. We have
always the choice to change to something else.
Give serious thought to this.
Mr Jefferson, address not supplied
What is pornographic to one person could
be perfectly acceptable to another, and I
think it is likely that this is the problem
here.
As has been mentioned several times
during recent months, Atari ST User has a
policy of not printing adverts which contain
pornographic material.
We have looked at the disks which New
Age claim to be selling through their page,
and none contains anything more porno-
graphic than women in bikinis.
Pictures like this - and worse - ore
printed each day in national tabloids and
cause little offence to their readers.
Finding the route
In your Christmas issue you reviewed a
program called Route Finder. As much as I
tried I could not find the address of the
program's supplier.
Would it be possible for you to print the
address in your next issue? I think that Atari ST
User is the best of its kind on the market.
I especially enjoyed the double disk issue —
could we possibly have a larger communica-
tions section, and how about a regularly
updated bulletin board telephone directory?
M. Bailey, Nottinghamshire
Sorry, it appears that the gremlins struck
the Christmas Public Sector pages.
Route Finder can be bought from L.A.P.D.
at 80 Lee Lane, Langley Heanor DE7S 5HN.
Alternatively, you can telephone the library
on 0773 605010.
Waiting to hear from you...
To join the ST chat show drop a line to
The Editor, Write Now, Atari ST User,
Europa House, Adlington Park,
Macclesfield SK 1 4NP
Atari ST User February 1 994
Picture formats
I am a beginner to assembly programming
and am starting to learn about screen and
graphics manipulation. I am having difficulty
with obtaining information on Neochrome
and Degas Elite picture formats.
Please could you help with any informa-
tion on these particular formats as I am at
my wits end?
S Jones, Crewe
No problem. The formats for Neochrome
ana Degas Elite picture files are as
follows:
Neochrome file format
C.IME03
I word Flag (always 0).
I word Resolution (0 = low,
l=medium, 2=high).
1 6 words Colour palette.
1 2 bytes Filename (usually left blank).
I word Colour animation limits. If
the colour animation is valid,
the high bit is set. The low
byte contains the colour
animation limits with the
most significant bits repre-
senting the lower limit and
the least significant bits
being the upper limit.
I word Colour animation direction
and speed. The low byte is
the number of frames or
Vblanks per step of colour
shifting. If the value is nega-
tive, the colours shift to the
left.
I word Holds the number of colour
steps to display the picture
for before proceeding to the
next one.
I word Image X offset (unused and
always set to 0).
I word Image Y offset (also unused
and set to 0).
I word Image width (unused. Set to
320).
I word Image height (unused. Set to
200).
33 words Reserved for future use.
1 6,000 words Actual picture data.
Total bytes = 32,128
Degas Elite format C.PI1=lo
res, .PIS=med res and
.PI3=hi res]
I word Picture resolution. 0=low,
l=medium, 2=high).
16 words Colour palette.
16,000 words Actual picture data.
4 words Table of left colour animation
limits. This includes the
ranges for four animation
ranges. The first word in this
table and the first word in
the table below are the first
animation range and so on
for the others.
4 words Table of right colour anima-
tion limits.
4 words Animation direction table.
Each word signifies the direc-
tion of animation for each
range. 0=left, l=right.
4 words Animation delay times. Every
entry is equal to 128-delay in
l/60ths of a second.
Total bytes = 32,066
Second drive
I am very new to the ST scene and am about
to splash out on a second drive. My main
reason for buying it is to simplify and speed up
file copying.
I am a student and use the ST as a word
processor for my subject work. As such, I
inevitably end up with lots of files of work on
different subjects and of differing versions.
I soon got fed up with the way the ST
handles file copying using just the internal
drive, so a second drive will be invaluable for
that as well as meaning my word processor
sessions will benefit.
Can you recommend a suitable drive and
give me some tips on what to look for?
L Robinson, Middlesborough
A second drive certainly does simplify and
speed up file copying, making the whole
process much easier. You could alterna-
tively use a RAM disk to make life easier,
but this obviously has its drawbacks such as
taking up memory. When looking for a
covers such topics as AES, GEMDOS, VDI,
BIOS, XBIOS, MultiTOS, SpeedoGDOS,
hardware and many other aspects of all
Atari computers. Every function of TOS 1.0
through to TOS 4.0 is explained and many
of the new features in TOS S.O too.
It is a valuable reference manual that no
ST, Falcon or TT programmer should be
without. The Compendium costs £39.95
and is available from HiSoft on 0S2S
718181.
Bleeping keyboard!
Every so often, when I turn on my ST, a conti-
nous beeping sound emenates from the ST and
the keyboard locks up.
If I ignore it and load some software, the
keyboard still refuses to work.
This doesn't happen all the time and I am
beginning to suspect it's a symptom of a virus.
Please can you help?
8 Williams, Strood
This problem is fairly common. It is due to
Advice
second drive, ensure it has its own built-in
power supply as opposed to taking power
from the ST itself.
In general, most drives from reputable
dealers are as reliable as the next. Some
drives however, offer extra features such as
digital track readout, which is pretty much
useless.
External drives are quite cheap too.
Ladbroke Computing's Zydec external
drive and Power Computing's PC720P cost
a mere £55.
If you have a bit more to spend, Power
Computing also have their PC720B which
has extras like drive B boot facility and
built-in Blitz Turbo backup hardware, all
for £5 extra. The drive B boot facility
allows you to use the external drive to boot
from and the Blitz Turba feature is an
extremely fast disk backup package.
Ladbroke Computing can be contacted
on 0772 203166 and Power computing can
be contacted on 0234 843388
Technical reference
I have been trying in vain to find get a copy of
the technical reference manual from Abacus
called Atari ST Internal, but I have failed miser-
ably. I would be grateful if you could tell me
where to get hold of a copy and also any other
reference manuals for the Atari computers.
R Dutton, Surrey
The reason you are having problems find-
ing the Abacus manual is that it has gone
out of print. However, fret not as HiSoft
have come to the rescue with The Atari
Compendium. It's a hefty tome and is the
most comprehensive "all-in-one" technical
reference manual for Atari computers yet.
It weighs in at a massive 860 pages and
having an joystick plugged in which has a
autofire feature turned on when you boot
up. Simply make sure it isn't turned on
when you switch on your ST and you
should find the problem disappears.
Floppy problems
Having recently bought my Atari 520ST, I am
experiencing some problems. I bought the
computer second-hand and it works very well
in itself.
The problems arise when I try to use my
son's disks. He also has an Atari 520ST. Some
of the disks work fine but 90 per cent of them
won't work at all.
I tried to use the two disks from your
December issue but was unable to get my
computer to accept them. I kept getting the
message that the disks may be damaged.
Could you please explain what could be
wrong and if there is anything I can do?
D Siberry, Middlesborough
It sounds as though you may have a single
sided internal drive as opposed to a double
sided drive, which are fitted as standard on
later model STs. Early STs were fitted with
single sided drives.
Try formatting a disk to double sided
and then check the disk size by highlighting
the disk A icon and selecting Show
Information from the File menu.
If your disk is single sided, the figure will
be in the 300k+ mark whereas double sided
drives give a 700k+ figure.
If your drive is single sided, it is not
possible to read any disks formatted as
double sided.
Your son's computer can format single
sided drives and it may be that the few
disks from your son's computer which
Atari ST User February 1994
advice
worked fine just happen to be formatted as
single sided.
No supply
Recently, my I040ST has stopped working and
I have been led to believe that the culprit is
the power supply. My ST is quite an old mode!
and I was wondering if you could suggest a
company who could replace my power supply
and possibly give it a good servicing?
K Brannon, Windsor, London
System Solutions (Tel 0753 832212) are the
closest to you and are one of the most
reputable companies who can repair your
ailing ST.
They are officially authorised by Atari so
you can be sure of a good job.
More memory
I have been considering upgrading my
l040STE's 1Mb memory for some time now
and I would like to ask a couple of questions.
The lines are open 1 0am till 8pm Monday
to Friday and 1 0am till 5pm on Saturday.
raster ST
I am a keen, nay fanatic, fan of the Caiamus SL
colour DTP package and have reached a criti-
cal point in my use of it.
I use Calamus SL on my Mega ST4 and now
find myself feeling the need for speed because
screen updates are beginning to slow me
down. I have already bought NVDI, a software
screen accelerator which is very good, but it's
still not fast enough.
Is there any hardware which is available that
will increase the clock speed of my 8MHz
Mega ST to double or more?
J MacFarlane, Yorkshire
System Solutions can provide you with
what you need. Their hardware accelera-
tors - the T28 and T36 - can speed up your
Mega ST to either 28 or 36MHz
respectively.
Both include a 64k cache which can be
zine, Atari ST Review.
The only restriction is that a manufac-
turer's "watermark" is printed across any
pages printed with the coverdisk version.
Other than that, everything else works.
Floppy failure
I am experiencing some very annoying prob-
lems with my Atari l040STE's internal floppy
disk drive.
About three weeks ago, whenever I tried to
write to a floppy disk, I occasionally got the
message "Disk in drive A: is physically write-
protected", even though the write protect
hole on the disk was closed.
Removing the disk to check it and then
inserting it back into the drive and retrying
usually cured the problem after a few
attempts.
Now though, the write protect problem is
permanent and I am unable to write or even
format any disks at all.
Will I have to get a new drive or is there
something I can do? I'm
not bothered about
opening up my computer
and removing the drive
to check it myself, so a
few pointers will be help-
ful.
C Rostock, Gloucester
I. What is the maximum memory I can
upgrade my STE to?
1. How easy is it to fit the memory? (I don't
have too much knowledge of electronics)
3. Who are the best company to approach in
terms of price and quality?
J Smith, Essex
Let's get straight to the answers shall we?
1. The maximum amount of memory you
could upgrade to used to be 4Mb.
However, Marpet Developments (Tel 0423
712600) have recently developed an
upgrade board that can add an additional
8Mb to take the maximum up to 12Mb!
2. Fitting upgrades to an STE is much
easier than fitting them to a ST. This is
because most STEs have SIMM sockets
which accept standard SIMM memory
boards. Fitting these is just a matter of
undoing your computer and plugging the
extra memory in.
However, there is the danger of static
damage to the SIMMs. So if you have not
got a great deal of experience with elec-
tronics, take advantage of the fitting
services which most dealers offer.
3. It is difficult to suggest one particular
dealer as many of them offer equal quality
of service. I suggest you flick through this
month's issue and check with the various
advertisers.
RAM memory has also recently under-
gone a major increase in price and at the
time of writing, prices are fluctuating so
check with each dealer for current prices.
You may also like to know that our sister
magazine Atari ST Review are currently
offering a memory upgrade service with I,
2 and 4Mb upgrades costing £9.99, £49.99
and £99.99 respectively. For more informa-
tion, call the order hotline on 0480 891 171.
switched on or off and when combined
with your copy of NVDI, you can expect a
healthy improvement in performance.
The T28 costs £199 and the T36 costs
£299. For more information about them,
contact System Solutions on 0753 830344.
FANSI graphics
Can anyone give me the name of a comms
package that will let me make use of the ANSI
colour displays available on most BBSs these
days? I have an Atari I040STFM with TOS
1.02, double sided drive and external drive.
R Snipperiey, Bucks
Freeze Dried Terminal v2.20 or higher is
what you need. It's available as a share-
ware demo which will allow you to try it
out and if you find it's the best thing since
sliced bread, simply register and you are
sent a "key" which will activate all the
features. Most PD libraries worth their salt
will have this in their collection, so give
your favourite library a call and ask them
for it.
Suitable DTP
I am looking for a low cost DTP package
which will allow me to create personalised
greeting cards which can take advantage of the
mass of clip art which I have accumulated from
various PD libraries. Could you please recom-
mend a decent package which won't make my
wallet cringe?
A Matthews, Kent
Timeworks 2 will fit the bill perfectly and a
fully working version for you to try out
appeared on the coverdisk of the
Christmas 1993 issue of our sister maga-
It seems the write
|^^ protect mechanism
may be faulty. Some
drives use a mechanical
write protect mechanism while others use
an optical method.
It is unlikely you will be able to repair
it yourself as there aren't any serviceable
parts to it. And it would be far cheaper
to buy a new drive than to have it
repaired.
Look through the adverts in this
month's issue for prices of internal floppy
drives - they generally start from as little
as £40.
Got a problem?
Are you at the point of taking an axe to
your ST? Do you want to pulverise your
printer? Well just count to ten and relax.
Then, jot down the problems you are
having, along with a detailed description
of your setup.
Include information on the type of ST
you have, the TOS version (if known),
what peripherals are attached and any
extra hardware that lurks inside your
computer (accelerators, graphics cards
and so on) and I'll do my very best to
olution.
For those who have had problems and
overcome them, chances are that some-
one somewhere is having the same prob-
lems and would benefit from your advice.
So get in print and send any tips or
suggestions that other users may find
helpful.
Send all tips and cries for help to:
Darren Evans, Advice Service, Atari ST
User, Europa House, Adlington Park,
Macclesfield SK 1 4NP
Atari ST User February 1994
The Upgrade Shop Tel 0625 503448
37 CROSSALL STREET, MACCLESFIELD, CHESHIRE SKI 1 6QF
Mon-Fri 9am-8pm, Sat 9am- 5pm lor orders and technical support.
Same day service available for upgrades and most repairs.
„ Please ring before you bring., , — ,
UPGRADES AND REPAIRS
MARPET XRAM DELUXE KIT
For STF/STFM. These kits use. Simms to Upgrade to a
maximum 4Mb. Same day fitting service available for
only £10.00. If you have any problems fitting a kit, return
it to us and we will be happy to do it.
XRAM UNPOPULATED £28.99
520 to 1Mb £37.99
520 to 2Mb £CALL
520 to 4mb £call
double upgrade 1 mb xram and 1mb
drive £74.00
for other variations please call
STE KITS
All STE kits include comprehensive fitting instructions
and a ramtest disk. Same day fitting
available for only £5.00
520 to 1Mb £9.99
520 to 2Mb £CALL
520 TO 4MB £CALL
REPAIRS
At affordable prices, fully trained engineers for a
relliable repair. No fixed charge, all jobs are quoted for
individually, standard 3 months warranty
We also supply and fit high density modules and drives,
accelerator cards, PC Emulators, TOS 2.06 etc.
Fitting service only £1 0.00
POWER SUPPLIES for STF(M), STE
New plug in replacement £33.99
INTERNAL REPLACEMENT DRIVE KIT
High quality mechanism with instructions and standoffs
1 Mb or 2Mb drive supplied £39.99
ELCO HIGH DENISTY MODULE
Double your drives storage capacity
(2Mb replacement drive required) £39.99
OVERSCAN FOR ST, STF{M)
Remove the border and get more workspace £39.99
TOS 2.06 FOR ANY ST
Update your operating system £57.00
PC SPEED EMULATOR ST STF(M), STE £60.00
AT SPEED EMULATOR ST, STF(M) £139.00
AT SPEED EMULATOR STE £149.00
REPLACEMENT 290 DPI MOUSE
Good quality very smooth £9.99
MONITOR SOUND BOX
Give your silent mono monitor sound £20.99
MONITOR SWITCH BOX
Switch between mono and colour mode £17.99
with sound £25.99
COMPUTERS
ATARI STFM and FALCONS
RING FOR AVAILABILITY
All prices include VAT @ 17.5%
but exclude delivery (see below)
Please make cheques payable to
THE UPGRADE SHOP.
1 year warranty on memory and
olher products. 3 months on repairs.
Prices subject to change without
notice
TUS HARD DRIVES
Full range of high quality SCSI hard
drives available for the ST & Falcon.
From bare enclosures, cables,
drives, etc. to complete systems, we
can supply the one for you.
Please phone or write to the above
address for a brochure of products.
TUS MONO MONITOR
The TUS mono monitor can be used
on the ST, Falcon or PC without
modification. Displays from 640 x
400 (ST - overscan compatible) to
1024 x 768 (Falcon or PC). Supplied
with ST adaptor cable £129.00
DELIVERY CHARGES
Nmmmttmm
Courier pick up and return delivery service for upgrades and repairs £13.00
ATAR
' ReDairs ui
I RE
PAIRS
Repairs undertaken to Atari computers at £49.95 inclusive
of parts, labour, VAT and return postage/packing
Full technical support
Computers repaired in the quickest possible time
All machines will be overhauled with a full soak-test to ensure optimum reliability
Entrust your machine to the experts, full 90 day warranty
Repairs to disk drive and power supply also included
(extra charge possible if found to need complete replacement)
Repairs to other Atari systems undertaken - phone for details
Upgrades and expansions supplied and fitted - phone for details
£49.95
To take advantage of this exceptional offer, simply send or hand deliver your computer to our workshop complex,
address details below, enclosing this advertisement voucher, payment, fault description, return address,
along with your daytime and evening telephone number and we will do the rest.
Should you require Group 4 Security return delivery, simply add £5.00 to the repair charge.
COLLECTION SERVICE AVAILABLE
L
WTS Electronics Ltd Chaul End Lane Luton Bedfordshire LU4 8EZ Tel 0582 49! 949 (6 lines;
(We reserve the right to reject machines which, in our opinion, are beyond repair- Normal charge applies)
Atari ST User February 1994
February 1994
TAKES POLE
REVIEWS... Fl • JAGUAR • CYBERMORPH • SPACE
CRUSADE , SPEEDBALL 2
ALSO... GENESIA PREVIEWED • COMPLETE GUIDE TO ROBOCOD • A
LOOK AT THE LATEST MANGA VIDEOS • A REVIEW OF LAST
YEAR'S HIT GAMES
Jonathan Maddock takes a brief
a look at STA's favourite
games of 1993
Dynablaster
You may think I'm mad
by not putting Elite II at
the top spot, but way
back in April a game
came from France that is
the most explosive piece
of software you're ever
likely to play, literally.
Simple format and a sim-
ple idea.
You play the part of a bomber against another four
opponents, and must make your way through a maze
chucking bombs trying to destroy your adversaries and
become the last bomber standing. See, it sounds completely
rubbish, but that statement couldn't be further from the truth.
Thanks to the five-player adaptor you can bring a whole
new meaning to staying in at home. Invite a few chums
around, bring some tinnies and settle down to the most fun
you're ever likely to have playing a computer game.
Dynablaster may not look as impressive graphically as
other games, but it beats the crap out of everything else for
sheer payability, addiction and more importantly enjoy-
ment. The game received a massive 94 per cent, a Gamer
Gold and is an absolute classic.
Elite II
The sequel to
world's biggest
the
best computer game in
I the whole wide world
„ever. You'd think that
the original couldn't be
raH better, well how wrong
you'd be if you thought that.
The games creator, David Braben, had really gone to
town and created a piece of software that contains the uni-
verse, well most of it anyway.
You can fly past 200 billion stars and land on anyone
of the 30,000 inhabited planets in the game. In the origi-
nal there were only a handful of missions, but the sequel
has literally thousands with over 70 different types. As soon
as you take off your destiny is placed in your own hands -
where you go and what you do is entirely up to you.
Visually Elite II contains some of the highest detailed
polygons and vectors you're ever likely to see on an ST.
From space stations to whole cities, it's all there in beautiful
light-sourced, techni-coloured detail.
For some people Elite became a way of life and slowly
over the years the Elite junkies have given up their habit,
but thanks to David Braben and his superb sequel they
were able to get addicted all over again. Elite II is unmiss-
able and you will love it.
Zool
Well it was about time. After every computer and console got
their version of the world's greatest platformer a year ago, it
eventually came to pass that Gremlin's biggest selling piece of
software finally made it onto the ST.
The ninja from the nth dimension must jump, bounce and
prance around six worlds of fast, frenetic platform fun. Each
world has a theme and they range from Sweet world to the
final setting in Funfair world. The speed of the game was very
impressive, as was the abundance of bright colours.
Zool may look cutesy and suitable for kids, but adults out
there won't find a tougher platformer than Gremlin's effort. On
his travels Zool faces all manner of bizarre beasties including
the huge end of level baddies. The action platform game of the
year and nothing else could touch it with a barge pole!
Lemmings 2
Those fiendish green-haired suicidal
Lemmings returned in 1993 and this
time they're more suicidal than ever
before! There is actually a plot this time
around!
A magic talisman had been broken into 12 parts and
spread throughout Lemsville. There are 12 tribes of lem-
mings, each inhabiting their own piece of lemming island.
Every tribe needs to complete ten levels, upon which they
are rewarded a piece of the magic talisman.
If you liked the animation in the first game then you're
fall head over heels in love with the sequel. The animators
have gone to town and created dozens of new comical situ-
ations. In the original, each lemming had eight different
attributes, but technology has moved on and the green-
haired ones are blessed with a further 46 abilities.
Lemmings 2 is twice as good and twice as fun as the
original and is worthy of a place in everyone's software
collection. Psygnosis have created yet another classic.
Chaos Engine
As a rule there's no-one better for pro-
ducing high-class, top-quality computer
games that the Bitmap Brothers and this
two-player shoot-'em-up was no excep-
tion to the rule. The two players (either
a chum or the computer) must battle through four worlds
of hot shooting action.
You had to choose between six mercenaries from all
walks of life Including a preacher, a navvy, a gentleman
and a thug. Each has its own different attributes and spe-
cial powers.
The graphics are absolutely flawless and you can tell
that it is a Bitmap Brothers product just by glancing at the
screen.
As with most Bitmap games there is a awesome sound-
track to boot with a smattering of sound effects. Addictive
and as playable as hell itself, the Chaos Engine is one of
the classiest products that your money can buy. Stylish,
cool and a totally excellent shoot-'em-up.
Ishar 2
The sequel to the all-conquering, critically
acclaimed RPG adventure from Silmarils
was like a breath of fresh air to ST
gamers this year. After being disappoint-
ed by inadequate adventures, Ishar 2 came on the scene and
kicked ass.
Strapping on your sword and clutching your spell book,
you must head for a set of islands with an all-new team of
heroes as you try to defeat the evil Krogh and his citadel of
evil. Ishar 2 is a must-buy and should of be at the top of
every gamer's shopping list. The graphics are luscious and
put most other adventures in the shade. Some of the later
levels are a sight to behold. The music is quite atmospheric
and there is no way I could fault the game on the playabiiity
and addiction fronts. Despite being a very old and tired for-
mat Ishar 2 shone like bright star in the darkened sky.
60fjTpE5SgEH
Graham Gooch's World
Class Cricket
Possibly the best non-football sports
simulation I've seen in a long time.
Cricket as, to some people, isn't that
exciting, but Audiogenic have pro-
duced a highly enjoyable piece of soft-
ware that will appeal to cricket and
non-cricket fans alike. One of the main
plus points of Gooch's World Class
Cricket is the fact that it is so easy to
play. In the past cricket games have
only appealed to fanatics of the sport
and this factor unfortunately made
them highly unplayable and very
tedious,
The graphics are excellent and well
presented and even the sound, a
Caribbean calypso kinda tune, is quite
good. There is plenty of joystick wag-
gling going on and this system of con-
trol makes batting and bowling very
easy to do. Incredibly addictive, highly
playable and well presented, Graham
Gooch's is the ultimate cricket game.
Championship
Manager '93
It was as a bit sparse on the football
game front last year what with Goal
arriving in 94 and Sensible capturing
the hearts of ST gamers in 1992. No
decent arcade soccer games, but one
management simulation shone out
from the rest of the pack and this was
Domark's Championship Manager
'93.
Interlek's creation beat the pants off
everything else for realism and
accuracy. Graphics and sound weren't
its strongest points, but it was just
about as close as you're going to get
to become a football league manager,
unless you're one already!
Everything you think should be in a
management game Is in
Championship Manager '93.
Internationals, transfers, scouts, penal-
ties, actual English and foreign player
names are oil in there which will
please dedicated football fans and
hopefully other games players as well!
Sleepwalker
Ocean do a lot of work for charidee,
but they don't like to talk about it,
instead they produce a brain-bashing
platform adventure. Comic Relief
returned to ask for some money for
the needy and loads of you happy
punters ran out to buy Sleepwalker.
Giving cash to those less fortunate
than yourselves plus you got one hell
of a platform game chucked in for
good measure.
The game featured the talents of
Lenny Henry, who was the voice
behind the star of the game, Ralph
the dog. His master Lee is a
Sleepwalker and as man's best friend
it's Ralph's duty to stop Lee from
being zapped, bashed, clobbered,
pummelled and squashed while he
walks around with his eyes closed.
Sleepwalker is packed full of bril-
liant cartoon-style graphics, plays like
an absolute demon and is so addic-
tive that you won't be able to put your
joystick down. A truly great plat-
former packed full of puzzles and
action, plus you'll be doing you're bit
for charidee.
The Secret of
Monkey Island
Undoubtedly the bargain game of the year
and the most magnificent budget that
you're ever likely to clamp your mitts on.
Thanks to US Gold's Kixx XL budget label
you got the world's best adventure for a
measly price of £16.99.
The adventure of Guybrush Threepwood
is presented in loving technicolour, contains
a unique sense of humour and is so
playable you won't want to put it down
until you ve completed it.
I suppose there oren't a lot of people out
there who haven't got the game, but for
those unfortunates who missed out first time
there hasn't been a better opportunity to
splash your cash on a piece of software.
Monkey Island received a humungous
94 per cent, one of the highest scores of
the year, and a morale boosting gold
award as well.
OVER THE PAGE
Fasten your seatbelts, extinguish all
cigarettes and get ready to take off
when you see what beautiful pages
we've got for you this month...
Feature: On the prowl. 62
Simon Clays gives you the low-down on
Atari's amazing 64-bit super console
Review: Cybermorph 62
It comes bundled with the Jaguar. The world's first 64-bit
game has arrived and Simon can't stop drooling
Talkback 66
More scribblings and opinions from you the reader,
plus the life-affecting Poor Corner
Budget Action: Speedball 2 67
Via US Gold's Kixx budget label, the Bitmap
Brother's classic death sports game returns to the ST
Preview: Genesia 68
Better than Populous? More exciting than
Sim City? Genesia is coming in 1994 and it
could become the God-game on the ST!
Review: F1 70
Skid around the corner, do a quick pit stop,
accelerate down the straight and take a swift
look at Domark's Fl
Feature: Manga 74
The latest batch of Japanese videos reviewed for
your enjoyment. Bleary-eyed and popcorn clutching
Jonathan checks them out
Feature: A new breed. 76
Want to know all about the Jaguar? Phil "Speed" Morse
interviews two leading software developers who have had
their hands on Atari's super console
Cheat Mode: Robocod. 80
A full set of hints and tips to the first five
levels of Millennium's classic platformer
February 1994
fter years of being considered by
some as offering a poor alterna-
tive to both the Japanese con-
soles and the Commodore
Amiga, Atari are about to strike back.
OK, so the Amiga out-gunned the ST in
many departments and really did kick its
printer port right up the rump. But what the
Japanese marketing machine did to the Lynx
was nigh-on murderous.
It was a far superior machine to the Sega
Game Gear in every department, but lacked
the support of high power advertising and
fell like a lamb to the slaughter.
However, what the majority of us thought
could hardly occur might actually become
reality. As far as its technical merits are con-
cerned, Jaguar outguns practically every-
thing on the planet.
Add the Jaguar's highly favourable price
point and it seems that Atari have an envi-
able combination. But, as we've all learned
since the evolution of the console, it takes
more than an impressive set of chips to
make a console a world beater.
There are a great many aesthetic factors
to be taken into consideration, some of
which may seem a little far-fetched to the
layman, but which are of prime importance
in the evolution of a machine.
Indeed, corporations invest phenomenal
amounts of money to research the correct
recipe for things as far removed as colour.
Whaf s even more surprising is that with this
level of market research and investment,
companies still manage to release machines
that don't have the level of appeal needed
to make them winners. One only has to look
Stealthily
sneaking up on
Sega and
Nintendo,
Atari's new
Jaguar console
looks set to
take a giant
leap into the
limelight.
Simon Clays ,■
takes a look
at Commodore's blest 32-bit CD-dri- *
ven machine, to realise that despite its °
relatively advanced technology, some-
thing stinks when you pick it up and
attempt to use it. Unfortunately, some-
thing so benign can actually make or
Behold, after what seems like an
eternity in the waiting,
it's finally
here. Get
ready for
the first
exclusive
look at the
game that comes bundled with the
Jaguar pack, Cybermorph
Cripes! Driving at right without lights, very naughty
At last my dear Atari owners, after
what seems like a lifetime in the
wilderness spent wandering
around a relatively empty void
while Amiga ond PC owners soaked up the
limelight, we're back. And, we're back with
such a vengeance that even the mighty PC
owners are going to be left quaking in their
486- si zed boots.
I have to admit that until I saw what
Jaguar is capable of, I too was highly scepti-
cal. But It really is ridiculously good for the
money you're going to have to pay for it.
If the early software releases are a gauge
of what things are going to be like, then
we're going to see a revolution that sees
Jaguar as the crown prince of the console
empire.
When I first saw Cybermorph in its fin-
ished splendour I was literally gob-smacked.
One goes from day to day in the computer
software industry seeing a great deal of
games some of which do make you sit up
and think "that's rather nifty".
However, I've never been overcome in
quite the manner I was when I saw
Cybermorph. More than anything it demon-
Action FEATURE
break a product, However, I seriously
believe that this time Atari have got it total-
ly right in this department as well. The
moment you even cast an eye on the pack-
aging that Jaguar is caged in, you get a
sense of something special and powerful.
The machine itself is a sleek, black ani-
mal, using a clever combination of high-
tech space age technology and a softly
moulded look that is popular in car
interiors. /
Although it's compact in size
and height, Jaguar feels
heavy and sturdy when /
you handle it. This
strength leaves you with a
feeling of security, and a
sense that if you were to
drop your precious
machine it might possibly
survive the blow.
Cartridges are inserted to the
top of the machine and sit rather snug-
ly next to a rounded undulation which will
seat the CD drive when it's released later
this year.
Forward of the CD housing is the
power switch and a rather handy
indicator light, which both speak for them-
selves.
Perhaps the most important part of any
console is the feel and user friendliness of
the control system. Atari have plumped for
the increasingly popular joypad.
Those of us who have always steered
clear of the Japanese consoles invariably
find these alienating on first use, and strug-
gle to ever find harmony with them.
When Jaguar first emerged,
though, because the Jag-pad feels far
superior to any of the aforementioned.
The most impressive thing I noticed was
its cleverly crafted shape which feels com-
pletely ergonomic, and doesn't leave you
with cramped up hands like so many
some criticism was made of the look of its
joypad. However, having spent some time
using this system I would beg to differ.
The pad is quite large in comparison to
the CD32, Nintendo and Sega control pads.
This shouldn't be seen as anything bad
of Jaguar's inferior counterparts. It also
feels more solidly built than the other joy-
pads and is less likely to break when it's
inevitably dropped on a surface.
On the button front, Jaguar is more than
adequately catered for. It boasts a total of
1 7 buttons and a four-way directional pad,
which will render Atari's machine capable
of the most complex of flight sims and
adventure games.
In terms of layout, the Jaguar has a 12-
button keypad reminiscent of the way a
telephone is displayed, with the clever facil-
ity to slot in an overlay for keypad recogni-
tion.
Above the keypad sits the four-way
directional controller, the pause and
^ option buttons and A, B and C buttons.
The amazing thing I found when
playing was that although it
I sounds a hellishly dextrous feat,
the Jag-pad is remarkably easy
to use.
Using two hands the pad is
easily accessible to all your fingers
and thumbs, remaining incredibly
comfortable without causing any stress
or cramp - although it remains to be seen
how a small child might cope.
Overall what we have in Jaguar
is incredibly exciting. It looks better
than any of its counterparts, it feels more
durable than them, it's more practical and
natural to use than them and most impor-
tantly the hardware and software poten-
tially kick Commodore, Sega, Nintendo,
Philips and 3DO into the gutter. Nice one
Atari, I think eight out of ten owners are
going to prefer this cat.
strated the sheer power of the machine ond
its immediate superiority to anything else
you'll see.
I really could enthuse over the power and
future of the Jaguar for all the space I'm
allowed, but I can't so we'll move on to the
plot of Cybermorph.
Far off in the future a galactic war has
broken out. Both sides are technologically
equal thanks to robotic assistance. However,
the evil Empire has captured the majority of
your weaponry, supplies and information
and has them locked securely in pods
throughout various planetary systems.
UNIQUE FIGHTER
Even some of your top designers have
been placed in cryogenic suspension and
encased in the aforementioned pods.
Fortunately, your forces hove a secret
weapon tucked neatly up their neoprene
sleeves. The Cybermorph Transmogriffin or
T-Griffin is a unique prototype attack fighter.
As the name suggests, the T-Griffin is
capable of morphing itself into various
shapes to render it more aerodynamic or
better protected from enemy fire.
Though restricted to planetary atmos-
pheres, it is capable of hugging terrain at
incredibly high speed and can also hover
and fly backwards. This sounds remarkably
like a helicopter, but rest assured it's a whole
lot more.
I mean, how many choppers do you
know that can fake a severe bartering and
then regenerate the damaged parts? Or
have an onboard holographic agent to keep
you up to date with battle data, enemy loca-
tions and planetary activity? Not many I'll
bet...
So, with all this hi-tech equipment, your
At a monitor near you
o o
1. Score
2. Number of ships
3. Skylar
4. Crosshair
5. Speed
6. Shield meter
7. Twin shot, three-
way, cruise bomb,
mine and incinera-
8. Message window
9. Super weapon
10. Pod counter
11. Altimeter
12. Scanner
simple task is to collect these vital pods from
the surface of planets, thus revitalising the
beleaguered resistance forces.
Having collected the necessary number of
pods from the planet surface Skylar (the
hologram) activates the retrieval code and
opens a beam portal which transports you to
the next sector. I've read with some interest
various comparisons and references to
Cybermorph being a 3D defender-type
game.
In some respects I understand why this
comparison has been made, because in its
simplest essence Cybermorph is that way
inclined, but I must stress it looks nothing like
a Defender clone and has substantially more
about it.
The game totals a massive 50 levels and
is divided into what are best described as
systems. In each system you must clear five
.63
J/W\
That bald bird at the top's a dead ringer for Sinead O'Connor
planets, find one secret world, access anoth-
er through a bonus ring and tackle a world
which contains an end-of-level guardian.
If you are successful in freeing a system
then the resistance has a stronghold on
which to base itself and you are able to
move on to the next set of zones.
To really gauge the vastness of
Cybermorph, it's best to examine the graphi-
cal worlds which go to make up the play
area. Each planet is rendered in glorious
technicoloured 3D fractals and features an
effect known as garaud shading.
What this does is sits an artificial sun in
the sky and shades all areas which are not
In direct sunlight to varying degrees. The
overall effect is amazing and has to be seen
to be believed. It brings a whole new level of
realism to the landscape and brings a
refreshing breath of fresh air into the 3D
genre as you've seen it before.
What's also amazing is the pace at which
the T-Griffin speeds across this complicated
alien environment, it looks and feels truly
magnificent as you swoop around the side of
a fractal mountainside.
Unfortunately you can't spend all day
gazing at the scenery and there's a job to
do. However, the aim of your mission is dis-
rupted as much as possible by the many dif-
ferent types of Empire craft that inhabit the
You're in full control
A. Forward thrust
B. Fire weapon
C. Brake/backward
thrust
D. Toggle main
weapon ordinance
E. T-Griffin control
F. Super weapons
G. Toggle crosshairs
H. Forward view
I. Cockpit view
J. Left view
K. Rear view
L. Right view
M. Came reset
N. Music toggle
It's a funny old game - I
one minute driving
along minding my own
business, next second
I'm attacked by a
massive Demon's head
64-STEgBZa
planets. These do their utmost to destroy
both the T-Griffin and the pods you are try-
ing to rescue. Some alien craft transport the
pods to special areas much as a goods vehi-
cle would.
These special areas are close by to
Vortex towers, which emit a pollutant caus-
ing mass genocide of your pods by infecting
them.
There ore a vast array of enemies to pit
your wits against. There are Kamikaze craft
which throw themselves at your ship in the
hope of damaging it and Pirates which fire
missiles and then flee.
You also get crabs which bu7 themselves
in the ground and then pop up, worms
which camouflage themselves as the terrain
and biospheres which cling to the ship and
drain your energy.
Worst of all are the infamous level
guardians like the Headhunter which apart
from being intelligent con sink into the
ground and re-emerge on the other side of
you and attack.
PUZZLE
This really is the tip of the iceberg though,
as there are at about 30 different aliens to
defeat. As if that wasn't enough there are
also Needles which thrust themselves out of
the ground in an attempt to bring you down,
prisons which ensnare your pods and
forcefields which stop you entering various
areas.
This is the puzzle aspect to Cybermorph
as you must find the power supply to these
systems and destroy them to proceed further.
Inside the T-Griffin there's a whole host of
goodies awaiting your grubby mitts. For
one, you have the ever helpful Skylor
who operates a host of portals and equip-
ment and generally gives you encourage-
ment by way of some beautifully sampled
speech.
You also have o rather nifty scanner
which directs you to the pods, exits and also
tells you where the nasties ore hanging out.
The display also features everything else
you'd expect of a quality spacecraft like
speed, optional targeting crosshair, altitude
and many more.
What you're itching for me to tell you
about though is the impressive array of fire-
power available to you. You start with a
fairly mundane single shot and most of the
others are generated through having collect-
ed the pods that litter the planet surface,
rather like power-ups.
There really are some pretty awesome
weapons of destruction available to you.
These can either build up your present
weapon giving it rapid fire or double shot,
or you are given extra weapons.
For example, the Incinerator shoots a
deadly ball of flame, whereas Cruise Bombs
hug the terrain before wreaking havoc on
their target.
If that wasn't enough, Cybermorph also
features three super weapons:
Thunderquakers which act like a smart
bomb, Detonators which destroy all build-
ings in a vacinity and nitros which grant you
a moments increase in speed and a high
intensity shield for protection.
Cybermorph not only looks beautiful, it
really plays superbly as well. The control
through the joypad is a treat to use and
doesn't take to long to get used to.
WAY AHEAD
Play is varied enough to keep you coming
back for more, a taste of success will have
you addicted in no time at all. I only wish
there was more space for me to write more
because I've not spoken about the fact that
you can reconfigure the controls to suit your-
self or the external views which make it pos-
sible to see the T-Griffin morph os it speeds
up and slows down.
Cybermorph is a superb title to launch
Jaguar with, it outstrips ony other console
package by light years. It looks great,
sounds great and plays exceedingly well.
Well done to ADT who've done a great job
and roll on Battlemorph, the sequel.
SIMON CLAYS
Being the fist Jaguar
le it's very difficult
to mork Cybermorph
against anything but
other platforms, and so immediately
outguns everything we normally
review within these pages. Super slick
3D and engrossing play make Morph
an absolute treat,
Developer > ADT
Price > Bundled in Jaguar
package
IJagte
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3D Construction KH
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A320 Airbus Europe
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Action Stations ....
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Air Combat Patrol
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Aliens III *
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AMNIOS
Ancient Art of War in Skies
Another WorM
Aquatic Games starJ Pond
Arabian Nights*
Armourgeddon
Amiourgedoon Upgrade* ..
A.TA.C
A-Traln"
Awsome ,
B17 Flying Fortress
Barbarian n (PsygJ
Bart vs The World*
BAT. II
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Battle Command
Battle Isle
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BCKId
Body Blows •
Buck Rogers
Burn Up*
Caesar
Cadaver ■ the pay off
Caifornia Garnet II
Campaign...
Campaign Mission
Campaign II*
Captive,
Captive II'
Carl Lewis Chatenge
Castles
Castles Data Disc
Championship Manager... .
Championshp Manager 33
Chaos Engine
Chase HQ II
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Crvifcation
CY'sAJrCombat
Cool Croc Twins
CoolWond
Combat Air Patrol
CcvettAction
Crazy Care III
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D-Day
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Darkmere
Denverance
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Doodlebug
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Dreadnoughts „ „
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Duck Tales Quest for Gold
r VISIT OUR"
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AT
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ST
£1299
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Dune*
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Epic
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F117A Stealth Fighter*
F19 Stealth Fighter
F29Retaiator
F.APremierLgue Football..
Face Off - Ice Hockey
Falcon ,
Falcon Mission Disk I
Falcon Mission Disk II
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Final Blow
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Fire and Ice
FlrstSamurai
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Football Manager III*
Future Wars
Gauntlet III
Getysburg
Global Effect
Global Gladiators
Gobliinsll
Gods
Golden Shot
G Gooch Cricket (1 Meg)
Graham Taylor
Grand Prie (Formula)
Gurtship2000"
Guy Spy
Hard Nova
Harlequin
Harrier Assault AVBB
Heimdall
Heros Quest (Grem)
Hill Street Blues
Historyine 1914-18*
Hook
I. Bothams Cricket
International Open GoH
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Jaguar XJ220*
James Pond III (Op Starfish)'
J. White's Whirlwind
J. Barnes (1 Meg)
KGB
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Kid Gloves II
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Knight Mare
Knight of the Sky
Krusky'sS.Funhouse*
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Leattial Weapon
Leeds Utd
Legend
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M1 Tank Platoon
MacDonaUland
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Monkey Island
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Operation Steath
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Ork
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Populous II (I Meg)
Populous II (Hal Meg)... .
Premier Manager
Premier Manager II
Pro Flight
Push Over
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Ragnorok*
Railroad Tycoon
Reach for the Skies
Red Zone
Risky Woods
Road Rash
Robin Hood
Robocod
Robocoplll
Rod Land
Rookies*
R-Type II
Sabre Team
SecretWeapLutt*
SensUe Soccer 92-93
Shadowlands
SHADOW BEAST II
Shadow Worlds
Shoot em up Con Kit
Shuttle the Sim
Silent Service II
Sim Earth
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Computer ATARI ST Date
Title Price
p r | ce Postcode:
"" Price" Card No:
Tel:
Welcome to the page which
is to taste and intellect what
Bobby Davro is to comedy
and music. Dave Cusick is
your host...
If you've something to say, put pen
to paper and write to the
Techmeister himself...
Mail order
crooks?
About three months ogo I sent
away for Zool for my 1040STE
from a mail order company.
I'd seen their advert in another
ST magazine for several months
and I thought they must be reason-
ably reliable, so I gave my dad the
money and he wrote out a cheque
Golden
oldies
I've noticed something of a trend in
the public domain recently. People
are resurrecting old games, adding
smarter graphics and so forth. In the
last few months I've seen Galaxian
(brilliant space invaders clone),
Rayoid (great asteroids clone),
Pacman and many more.
Quite frankly, I'm happy as larry
to see these classics given a new
lease of life, especially since they
only cost a couple of quid. I'm just
waiting for a PD or shareware ver-
sion or Frogger, because I had a ver-
sion of it for my Acorn Electron which
was brilliant and I'm sure my STE
would make a great job of it. Maybe
the blokes who came up with that
lovely STE-only version of Pacman
are listening?
R felton, Derby
t agree, it is nice to see such classics
doing the rounds again and reaching
a wnote new audience of younger
gamesplayers. Ifs surprising just how
many good games have started
appearing in the public domain, so
you'd be well advised to monitor the
PD pages carefully for the latest
developments. Some of the games
are better than commercial efforts,
and they cost about a tenth of the
price.
for me and I sent it off.
About two weeks later the
cheque was cashed, but so far I've
still seen nothing of Zool. About a
month after I ordered it I wrote
again to the company, but they
didn't reply.
They didn't give a telephone
number in the advert so I haven't
been able to ring up and pester
them about it. What should I do?
They've got my money, which
took ages to save up, and I've not
C my game yet.
Graeme West, Aberdeen
situations like ibis ifs very diffi-
cult to know what to do. Since
they've cashed your cheque they
should indeed have sent me game
and since they haven't they are
breaking the law.
Try writing again and if you
don't hear anything back within a
week or two, I would try contact-
2 the local trading standards
ce to see if they can help.
There's a lesson to be learned from
this story. Always try and use
companies that friends have found
reliable or that you've used yourself
in the past.
You don't say which magazine
Send you past to : Mr TalkbacK, ST Action, Europa
House, Adlington Park, Macclesfield SK10 4NP
you saw the advert in; you should
always make sure that the maga-
zine has a policy of not
allowing adverts from just any old
company.
For extra help and advice turn to the
special Mail Ordering feature in this
How do we
doit?
First of all, well done to everybody
involved in STA. I like the new writ-
ers and style and I'd just like to say
keep up the good work.
The other thing I was meaning to
ask is about how you actually put
the magazine together. Do you
write all the reviews on an ST? And
how do you get the pictures of the
games as well?
Daniel Roberts, Manchester
We're all so chuffed with your
compliments, Daniel, that we shall
indeed enlighten you as to the
intricacies of our production
process. Obviously we play the
games on an ST, but we have to
write the reviews and lay out t
he pages on Apple Macintosh
computers because these are
the industry standard machines.
We "grab" the screen pictures
using a hardware device which
connects the ST to the Mac. When
we flick a switch on this device
and press a key on the Mac the
picture which is on the ST's screen
is "grabbed" into memory and
appears on the Mac's screen. This
can then be saved and imported
into the publishing software on the
Mac for incorporation in the
layout of the pages.
Since freelance work is done at
home, however, it is often written
on the humble ST and saved in a
format readable by the Mac pub-
lishing package.
The Poor Corner
Disk Ditty
There's Sony disks and Agfa disks
and Select disks and more besides
There's TDK and 3M disks
and even ones with double sides
There's cheapy disks and branded disks
and HD disks with holes both sides
And 5 inch disks and 3 inch disks
and 3.5 for ST drives
There's silver disks and orange disks
and bluey disks and black ones too
There's greyish disks and reddish disks
and yellow ones and green for you
There's floppy disks and hard drive
disks and optical types on sale too
But one thing that still baffles me
is why they break when smeared with
glue
Cllrika Jenkins, London
Dodgy Salesperson Jobby
As I went wand'ring through the woods
1 met a man selling shoddy goods
His table was filled with machines
Obtained from sources by dubious means
He grinned and winked and smiled at me
And asked a fiver for an Atari ST
I could not believe my eyes
1 leapt with joy and some surprise
i dug down deep and found the dough
And raced off home, my friends to show
I wanged a disk into the slot
And all at once I was besott .,.ed.
Ray Stinson, Lancashire
Sad Ode to the ST
Gloria Gaynor said she'd survive
But she wasn't as pretty as that 3.5 drive
Rod Stewart sung of Sailing 'cross seas
But he ain't a patch on springy grey keys
Gollum asked about Bilbo's pockets
But he's not as cute as those Midi sockets
And as for those holes where jo sticks
dock
Into those I thrust my Quickshot 2 Python.
Why, what what else would 1 stick in
there?
Steven Crays, High Wycombe
They really do get sadder each
month, don't they? Ray and
(Jlrika's efforts were poor enough,
but \ can honestly say ! don't think
we've yet had a poem as dire as
Steoen's little ditty, if you think
you can do better (and let's face it,
it's not difficult), drop us a line here
at STA towers.
"Champions,
Champions!"
Drunken revelry
with the boys
Take control of Brutal Deluxe, attempt to hit a metal ball into a goal and punch
the living daylights out of your opponent - or be a right big girl's blouse!
■ ■■'rrra; .'- ... ~'i**l&"7i'/"J .>
Metal-plate head Grobbelaar makes a great save. Funky moustache not included
Knockout, League or Cup matches,
or practice mode if you feel your
team need some training. The games
are played over two halves, each one
lasting 90 seconds. Points can be
gained by scoring a goal (ten
points), injuring an opposing player
(ten points), or through the score
multiplier; this can increase your
score by up to 100 per cent by sim-
ply throwing the ball up a ramp,
but can be cancelled out by the
other team.
You can also increase your
points by throwing the ball against
Bounce Domes or lighting the stars
located on the stadium wall.
Bonuses can be collected on the
pitch and fall into two categories:
tokens and armour/weaponry.
Tokens effect the entire team and
most of them are fixed by a time
elcome to the year
2100, and Speedball 2
1 is back. Five years of
being forced under-
ground it returns, thanks to the cre-
ation of the Speedball Players'
Association and the newly formed
16-team World Speedball
League. But still it remains as
violent as ever.
Your team. Brutal Deluxe, is stuck
tR?
- ^ fjs
' 4& ©
- hlfliMff
^J ii mm
,■ .,.
, © ■.©
The Gym Screen, and there's not enough cash to
buy those cool Bitmap shades. Aah, shame!
at the bottom of the WSL's Division
2, but now you're in charge and
it's your chance to make them
great. Dare you take up the chal-
lenge?
The object of the game is to score
points by lobbing a metal ball into
your opponent's goal by any
means possible. This includes beat-
ing the pulp out of your rival if you
see fit.
Simple huh?
Well, this is
not to mention
all the bonus-
es you need to
acquire, cru-
cial to the out-
come of the
game, or that
you need to
build up your
I team with the
many attribut-
es available
and create a
strategy.
~ You can choose
limit of six seconds. These can help
you in a variety of ways. For
example, Freeze Team will freeze
opponents for a limited period, and
Manic will increase both teams'
attributes to a maximum. Armour
and weaponry can also be picked
up to increase individual player's
attributes. A Chestplate will
increase defensive ability, Bitmap
Shades will enhance aggression,
a Glove will increase power
and so on.
Through the management side of
Speedball 2 you can build up your
squad of 12. Buying and selling
your players while increasing
their attributes can prove vital
to your success.
The Gym screen will allow you to
train individual players or the
whole team. A player's attributes
determine their individual strengths
during a match and can be changed
through this screen.
Players attributes are rated in
eight ways. Aggression defines
whether players will attack or
avoid their opponent and Defence
determines how hard it is for
someone to take the ball from
you, for instance.
The moves are easy to master
and the simple joystick controls
make controlling your players easy.
A certain amount of aftertouch can
be applied to direct the ball in the
direction you want.
The rapid gameplay makes for
an exciting sports game. There is
plenty to keep you amused for
quite a while. If you manage to
complete the League, there are
always the cup matches - knockout
tournaments consisting of four
rounds played over two legs, and if
all this gets too much you can
always grab a friend and play a
two-player match.
The futuristic theme is taken up in
the attractive appearance of the
game. The metallic-looking sports
arena is clearly set out and so none
of the action is missed.
The sound track is good and it's
a shame that the music could not be
continued throughout the game
instead of rather sparse sound
effects.
All in all though, it's a great
game with plenty of action and the
management side of having to
develop a strategy and build your
team adds variety.
TINA HACKETT
DIFFICULTY
INSTABILITY
EXXXXXXX1
J Fast, furious, futuris- w « v.]
tic sports action, I l^vj/ ,
with a management [• |^ J4I]
strategy angle to it.
Great stuff!
Publisher ► Kixx
Developer >■ The Bitmap Brothers
Disks > 1
Size >■ V» meg
February 1994
67
Populous and
Civilization may have
reigned for a long time
now, but there's a new
kid in town called
Genesia and he's here
to take the throne...
Over the years the God game has
become more and more popu-
lar. There haven't been many or
this type made simply because
of the amount of programming and knowl-
edge that it takes to produce the piece of soft-
ware.
Populous 1 and 2, Powermonger,
Civilization and Sim City have all been
tremendous successes on the ST, but why has
the genre become so popular? Well for
starters you get to play God. What other rea-
son do you need!
You rule a piece of land or even a whole
world and get to control everything including
The map of world one and the
land is there to be conquered,
so get conquering!
Fire! Somebody call 999. Oh damn,
telephones haven't been invented yet!
messing and enhancing people's lives. Does
this mean that God is sitting somewhere at a
ST with mouse in one hand and copy of
Populous in the other?
Then again this means God must have cre-
ated the people to make Populous and there-
fore is the life we're leading in fact just a
small insignificant part of a very huge and
complicated computer game? If God created
us then who created God and do we actually
exist anyway and why am I losing track of
whot I was going on about?
Ah yes, why has this genre become so
popular? Another reason could be that older
players are getting into these super-intelligent
God games. Kids leaving their computer on
may well find out that Mum or Dad could be
controlling whole worlds having given up on
trying to control their kids.
This is due to the universal appeal of the
God game. I personally don't know anyone
who doesn't like Populous. They are very
intelligent, strategy-based games, but this
doesn't make them boring, they are perhaps
more rewarding than other types of software.
In most God products you get to control
One of the nice and helpful
balance sheets to keep you
informed on how you are doing in
your quest for the seven jewels
people, you must combat natural and unnat-
ural disasters and so the whole point of the
software is to survive. The ability to say that
you survived is a pretty awesome achieve-
ment.
One of my personal favourite God games
is Sim City. This is due to the fact that you
have a choice on how to play. You can build
up your city and try to complete an objective
or you can just sit down ot your monitor
screen and fiddle endlessly with your city at
your own leisure.
These games all seem to transport you to
another world where you can easily lose
track of time plus you don't have a set time in
which to complete the game. By saving your
position you can come back to your world or
city whenever you like. All in all each God
game provides a welcome and relaxing
break away from some of the monotonous
platformers and shoot 'em-ups.
Before your adventure gets
underway you must select
trades for all your inhabitants
Populous and Civilization have dominated
the field for a couple of years now, but com-
ing to your power-crazy clutches in the first
part of 1994 is Genesia.
Genesia is being published by Mindscape
and you play the part of leader of your own
small land, the slight problem being that the
small is way too small for your liking and
ambition. You must expand your land and
populace in tune with nature, paying atten-
tion to the climate and managing resources
such as water and timber.
There is an objective to Genesia and that
is that you must recover seven missing jewels
as quickly as possible. The strength of your
economy, army and technology will enable
you to fulfil your goal.
It's not going to be easy though because
you are up against two opponents who are
just as intent on recovering the jewels as you
are. The other two players can either be
Yes even in computer games you have to pay your taxes.
I'd blame the Tories and hey who wouldn't!
The work has begun on the land. Three houses are already
built and the farmer has started on his field
played by the computer or by your human
friends.
Once found, the jewels can also be sub-
sequently lost, so your task is not as straight-
forward as it seems. You win by being the
first to recover all the jewels or if you're the
only player left standing.
Before the action starts you have to
choose between five different worlds.
Depending on the one you choose, the com-
puter will apply a specific policy plus the
game's configuration will be different and
have its own strategy.
You begin the quest with four inhabitants.
Each owns a house and must be given a
trade. These range from farmers to inventors
to blacksmiths. Every job to build a living
populace is in there.
The choice of trade must be made wisely
ot first. For instance it's not worth choosing a
carpenter if you haven't chosen a woodsman
to cut down the trees. The inventors play a
particularly crucial role in helping you fulfil
your mission because they invent machines
to help you win, but first you must build them
a workshop. This means that you need a
woodsman, a carpenter and an architect
before you can even begin to think about
achieving your final objective.
Buildings are important in the game, but
useless if you don't keep the surrounding
land in order. You must have good water
Fertility... 52/100
Vegetation ... 26/100
■■' Sheet ot water 30/100
♦ Population j> #*
♦ Moral 5/T
♦ Food 6/999
'■ Wafer 6/393
+ Speciality NOTHING
■■ Fruit 5/333
■ Eaith'A'fcie. 3/339
- Fabric 10/333
• Pearl .3/333
- Wood . . .10/999
Metal . ..10/393
Stone 1/393
Diseased ..-
Military ...-
Epidemic .NONE
Wat chouse. 5 YsO
Slock of water ; l Season(s)
5fockof toad ; 1 Season^)
The second balance sheet which is similar to the first, but
uses figures and words rather than the bar graphs
supplies, which means wells must be built.
Fields must be sown to enable farmers to
grow crops to feed your workforce and so it
goes on.
The first aim is to build a small village, so
that you can attract enough people to live
there and then hopefully use them as your
army, so that you can wander the land to
find the jewels and defeat your opponents.
To lure people onto your land certain
factors must exist, This
next bit might sound like a
Blue Peter cookery lesson,
but you will need a vacant
house, enough food and
water, a morale rating
over 5, no epidemics and
no battles should be in progress on your
land.
Genesia has so many factors and deci-
sions to be made that 1 could spend ages
detailing them all, but lack of space prevents
that. It is so in-depth that it will keep gamers
entertained for a long time to come.
Genesia is based on a "turn" format. You
must make all your decisions and then end
your turn, so that your opponents can have
Sleigh bells ring... are you
listening! Snow falls over the
land and the inhabitants have
built some snowmen!
their go. Each turn represents one of the
fours seasons (spring, summer, autumn and
winter).
Not only does this allow for some quite
brilliant graphics in the game it also casts up
another range of options and decisions to
consider. For instance in summer fires will
This menu allows you to build. I've
decided to construct a warehouse
The warehouse has been built and I
can now store all my supplies there
start, land will be scorched and water sup-
plies wilt be low. In winter all outdoor activi-
ties such as farming, lumber and carpentry
must automatically come to an end due to
the harshness of the weather.
Genesia, although similar in style to
Populous, has some nice little features. One
of these is the balance sheet which provides
all manner of information on how you are
doing in your quest. Not highly original, but
it's quite often these little touches that
improve a game from being mediocre to
excellent.
It seems to combine two elements of
gamesplay which have been previously fea-
tured in its competitors. The first is the ability
to sit back and slowly build up your settle-
ment from nothing while the second is the
objective which must be achieved to com-
plete your quest.
These two elements, combined with its
amazing graphics could well see Genesia
becoming one of the strategy/God games of
1994 and maybe even surpassing its prede-
Gnpliesillius
MtiineRUeltt
Siuflri: Jean Alexis
Mutinies
Initiated: 1993
E»JEiW69
/- r QfO
INTERLAGQS
OT TIME >yOO"00
.fiP J 00-"OG
It's a strange old world isn't it? How
many times punters, have you had
de/'d vu? I'd guess probably a few
times, but not as many as yours truly,
who sees replicas of the same game ideas
repeated several times a week.
Oddly enough, the most common clone
of all is the car racing game. After all if you
make a bog-standard platformer, at least
the character can look slightly different from
the last you saw.
But in the racing circuit, there's only one
definitive set of tracks, one set of cars with the
same markings and one set of named drivers.
As a rule, car races are the type of game
I've always revelled in, but there does come
a time when a genre becomes "tyred" and
the proverbial "exhaust" becomes exhausted.
This is not to say that there hasn't been a
boot-load of classics along the way. You've
only got to take a little look at the likes of
Formula 1 Grand Prix or Vrcom to appreciate what
a classy racing game's driving at.
Uncannily enough, the link here is that
Domark's latest offering to the games world
is programmed by non other than Lankhor,
At long last it's the green
The ideal opportunity to ta
on the mantle of Mr Mansell!
Just blame everybody for
everything, including
all own mistakes, and
generally suffer from
a strange accent...
On yer marks, get set,
oh, go on then wiggle
that joystick
the people behind Vroom.
I don't know how many of you remember
Vroom, but let me tell you it was a classic.
French software house Lankhor worked won-
ders and probably produced the fastest
Formula 1 racing game ever for the ST.
Well, now they're back with their second
offering with the full and unadulterated
approval of the motor racing sports govern-
ing body, the FIA. What this means is that
the game can feature all the official tracks,
drivers, constructors and advertisers.
Someone please correct me, but bar the
odd name, everyone's used all of the above
without the official recognition of their prod-
uct, so 1 don't think it means that much.
However, it's a nice touch I suppose, and will
no doubt help F-l to sell a tad more easily.
That said, the proof is in the pudding and
It's the play and look that will determine the
success of this release. So with this in mind
let' 5 don our overalls, walk gingerly over to
TRACKS OF MY TEARS
BRAZIL - Interlagos
A demanding but rewarding circuit with two top
speed straights. Spend too long having tyre
changes and you'll be surprised how quickly
your opponents catch up
SAN MARINO - Imola
Here's a track that will having you driving to
your limit. The course is very fast, but try to
remember where the chicanes are as they'll
require some hectic braking
SPAIN - Barcelona
This is a really hard course with corners that
appear to rush up on you from nowhere. An
important track to keep your eye on the circuit
map at the top of the screen
CANADA - Montreal
This Grand Prix will put a tremendous amount of
pressure on both your tyres and brakes. Try to
remember your braking points so you're not
caught out by some of the slower corners
^13 KM
MONOCO - Monte Carlo
Probably the most famous circuit in the world.
Raced on the streets, you'll find qualification as
important as the race since overtaking is
really tricky
FRANCE - Castelei
Situated between Toulon and Marseille, Castelet
has one of the most spectacular chicane sections
of any motor racing circuit, that has to be experi-
enced to be believed
70§pZ»IEl
the pits ond find out whether F-1 is a blow
out on the first lap, or a model snogging,
champagne-spurting winner.
Playwise everything begins in the Options
menu, where you determine the type of race
you want to run. You can decide to train on
any of the 12 tracks that form the world
championship, to familiarise yourself.
You can also select an arcade version of
F-1 which puts you on the self same tracks,
but osks you to overtake an increasingly
larger number of cars to qualify for the next cir-
cuit. Last, but by no means least, is the full
blown World Championship mode. This puts
you up against all the top drivers vying for
points over all the world's fop circuits, or
allows you to choose an individual track
to compete on.
Success, as usual, means points for
prizes, with a win giving you ten points
towards the drivers' championship and the
same number going to the constructors in
their battle to be the best.
As usual in this style of title you can adjust
the skill level to render it playable in the
early stages and to give you some chal-
lenge once you've mastered the control
and courses.
Skill levels can be adjusted between the
Indestructible cars that the novice drives,
right through to the hyper-sensitive, lightning
fast cars of the experts.
You also have the option to alter the
wings of your hot rod, and much of this
depends on the track on which you are com-
peting. For example, setting your wings in a
low position gives you less drag giving you a
higher top speed, whereas a high setting
operates in reverse and makes you stick
glue. You also hove the opportunity to
BRITAIN - Sitverstone
Silverstone has been recently revised because if s
just too fast. Now the circuit is one of the one of
the most challenging around with fast sixth gear
straights leading to tight second gear corners
BELGIUM - Spa
A popular circuit for drivers due to the precision
required to hit fast lap times. However, it does
contain a particularly dangerous first bend as the
cars rush away from the grid
PORTUGAL - Estoril
A circuit comprised of long sweeping bends.
Overtaking isn't too difficult as long as you are
prepared to leave the racing line and drive around
the outside of other cars
GERMANY - Hockenheim
A dangerous forested circuit which is mainly made
up of straights. Your car should be aligned to a
low downforce setting, and don't forget to watch
out for some pretty sharp bends
£.500 Krr
ITALY - Monza
The most incredible part of this track is the top
gear Parabolica corner which leads onto the start-
finish straight. Getting this corner correct and you
will reach fantastic speeds
AUSTRALIA - Adelaide
A street circuit which may have you wishing you
selected an auto gearbox. Setting the car is a diffi-
cult task on this course as it contains both long
straights and extremely twisty sections
Slf71
SAN MARINO
IMOLA
change your tyres, the gearbox and just
about everything else conceivable. In fact,
one of the only things you can't change is
your underwear after you've careered into
an ad hoarding.
Once you're on the grid you can elect to
qualify or go straight into the actual race.
Attempting to qualify is probably the best
policy as you have a chance to improve
your position on the starting grid, rather
than the default position to the rear of the
grid. After all the preparation work, it's
finally time to test your skill and nerve in the
race. Graphically, F-1 is very similar to its
older brother Vroom, and has the same feel
as it.
This is by no means a bad thing, as
Vroom not only looked good, but moved at
a tremendous rate of knots. If you'd like
proof of the speed of F-1, just select the
Turbo mode and watch your car fly
around the track.
If you have any trouble during the
course of the race then you can enter the
good old pit lane. Here you can get your
mechanics to break into a sweat, changing
your tyres or refuelling your sporty motor.
However, time being of the utmost
importance in the hi-tech world of motor
racing, you've no time to get yourself a
nice munchy bar or glance at the over-
priced tapes, it's straight back into the
race.
Perhaps the best option of all is the two-
player split screen game. This allows you to
race against not only the other competitors,
but also one of your mates.
To a large extent F-1 is very similar to its
This is the options screen which is
almost as interesting as that top
Brummy whinge-bag Nigel Mansell
'""'
Here's the bit of paper that Murrey Walker
reads from on a Sunday afternoon
■wtTfiT'Hi mm
Nice graphics cou- | , ¥ , Til
pied up with brilliant r.T»v//ii
I play, make F-Io L*1"JM*J
j must for all lovers of
p a quality arcade racing title
! Publisher >■ Domark
Developer > Lankhor
72gT^3ffl3EZM
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V J
Time once more to turn into Barry Norman and review the
st batch of Mai is, and why not? Jonathan "Square Eyes'
addock settles down with his popcorn for a feast of
Japanese animation entertainment
Tetsuo 2: Body Hammer
VJs*
i
^tfj Despite Hie "2", Tetsuo 2 isn't a sequel to Tetsuo: The
¥ *^%; lion Man, but is more a re-invention and re-make. For
s£r- those not aware, the Tetsuo series of film were made
\ j/ by a young and highly acclaimed Japanese film-
J\ maker called Shinya Tsukamoto.
/ Shinya has been compared to David Lynch
[Eraserhead, Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet), David
Cronenberg [VicfeoaVome, Naked Lunch, The Fly] and
Ridley Scott [Alien, Blade Runner].
This is probably down to the fact that his films are
so weird, but he does have wild and original visions
all of his own. Body Hammer starts with the abduction
of a happy family man's child by a deadly group of
skinheads. In the struggle the man (Tomoroh Taguchi,
star of Tetsuo) is injected with metal.
Haunted by violent nightmares and experimented
on by the gang's vicious leader, the man finds himself
turning into a ferocious cyber-gun. Full mutation follows and a
savage battle ensues between Taguchi and the gang's leader.
Body Hammer is quite brutal and disturbing at times, but
because the film is so bizarre you can't stop yourself watching it.
The camera work is unusual and you get odd angles and view-
points, but it does work surprisingly well, especially the energetic
and often dizzying chase sequences.
The special effects are excellent and very effective. You could
compare Body Hammer to films like Blade Runner and
Terminator, but Tetsuo 2 is just that bit more dark and bizarre
than its western counterparts. It's incredibly weird and not for
people with weak stomachs, but Body Hammer will become a
cult classic. A must buy for fans of the original.
m
i TETSUO II
SOQY HAMMER
yfcqe
The star of Judge is a quiet office worker called Ohma.
Ohma looks like a bit of wimp, what with his mop-top hair-
cut, geeky glasses and weird pet parrot, but he is in fact the
all-powerful Judge of Darkness.
The wrongful dead continually seek retribution from
within the spirit world for the crimes committed against
them, The justice they seek cannot be decided by ordinary
law, but instead is contested via the Law of Darkness.
Their pleas are communicated through the Statute Book,
a living, breaming collection of judicial precedents recorded
on human skin and is controlled by the merciless Judge of
Darkness. The Judge hands out his sentence in various
gruesome ways via the
pages of the book.
The living have one
defence against this pow-
erful system and his
name is Shimon, a man
. _ who is a sort of religious
attorney entirely motivated by money. Ohma's boss,
Kawamata is accused of killing his best friend, Yamanobe.
Yamanobe is also a major threat to Kawamata and
could become the head of the company. What ensues is a
court room battle held in the Supreme Court of Darkness
between the Judge of Darkness and Shimon and in fact you
could be forgiven for thinking that this could become a
Manga version of IA Law.
Judge is a sinister thriller and very entertaining. Unlike
other Mangas if s not too violent, but it is still animated to
perfection. The only thing I .
found wrong with it was that it's a
bit too short. By the time I'd got
really into it it was just about ready
to end.
Judge is a good Manga
and highly watchable, but lacks
that something to make it a
classic.
Crying Freeman
lapter Two: The Enemy Within
Port two of (he Crying Freeman saga.
The beautiful Emu and Freeman Yoh
have now been joined in holy matrimony and have been chosen
to lead the 1 08 dragons. The dragons ore an elite fraternity with-
in the Chinese Mafia and are constantly moving into a new era
of bloodshed, extortion and vice.
Mysteriously the new regime of the 108 dragons comes under
attack and questions are immediately asked to whether there
could be a traitor within the fraternity.
Freeman Yoh ond Emu, who now sports a fancy all over body
tattoo of a tiger, are
up against the might
| of a rival gang
jj called the Kamora.
Cfiopter Two: The
Enemy Within is
-* basically more of the
i same that was seen
r in part one.
The first part moy
have been slightly better because all the characters were new,
but part two is just as good in terms of content and leaves you
thirsting for the third part.
Crying Freeman, the Tom Cruise lookalike, is still out and
about on the killing front, but he comes up against some
trouble via a mysterious woman. The violence is still as brutal
and there is on abundance of nudity plus one scene I'd
rather forget featuring a very large woman in the nude. Not
pleasant!
Part two still retains that mixture of suspense, martial arts and
bone-crushing violence. Owners of the first episode will wont this
desperately and if
you haven't bought
the first video yet, JO 2 '. 88 '. 88 ,' 84-
you'd better get a
move on. Crying '"
Freeman is top class
entertainment and
one of my favourite
Manga films so far.
For centuries, a non-aggression treaty has existed between the
human world and the realm of the demons. Without it humanity
would be a terrifying and foul chaos of depravity and destruction.
This pact is upheld by a group of undercover operatives known as the
Black Guard, but at the end of the 20th Century the treaty is up for
renewal.
Terrorists from either side seize on this time of uncertainty to step
up their efforts to sabotage any agreement. Their target is the leg-
endary Dr Joseppe Malyart who is the only one who can sign the
treaty.
The signing will take place in Tokyo and the Doctor is put under
the protection of two prime operatives from the Black Guard.
Renzaboro Taki is a human while his partner is a beautiful woman
called Maki from the realm of the demons. Taki sounds a lot like Clint
Eastwood while his supernatural partner has a nifty line in dangerous
fingernails.
They both get upstaged though by the delightfully perverted Doctor
Malyart who is the real star of the film and will have you holding
your sides through laughing too much. Although Crying freeman and
Fefsuo 2 were good, Wicked City just has to be the best Manga film
this month.
It is probably best described as Dirty Harry meets James 8ond
meets a Nightmare on Elm Street. It could even be described as a love
story that gets invaded by all manner of horrible and terrifying mon-
strosities from beyond.
The animation casts a tense dark atmosphere over the whole
adventure and is absolutely first-rate. There are copious amounts of
sex, violence and swearing, but all these elements combine to make a
truly wicked Manga film. Buy it now or be laughed at by small chil-
dren for rest of your natural life.
! ^
IMJiiy jSlL 75
In order to succeed, Atari's new Jaguar
games console needs more than just a
good spec. It has to compete with the
assembled might of the Japanese, and
with Commodore's new CD32 console, as
well as the curiously titled yet menacingly
threatening 3D0.
That it is the best specified of all of these
is beyond question. Its 64-bit technology is
unsurpassed In the games world, its four
(yes, four) CPUs (set against the ST's one}
mean that it is, in many
ways, four power-
ful comput-
of the last year, hibernating and beavering
away at the first games we will see?
Situated on a science park on the out-
skirts of Oxford, Rebellion are in a suitably
hi-tech setting environment, mirroring the
status they currently enjoy as one of the star
developers In the Jaguar's third-party pro-
gramming club.
Rebellion's Alien vs Predator is a mam-
moth, seven-level 3D spectacular, and guar-
anteed to bowl you over first time you see it.
So what of the new console?
What will its incredi-
ble technical
spec and
one!
When
taken along with
its recommended retail
price of a meagre £200, it is easy to see
the potential; its games are better than the
very best efforts on PCs costing £1 ,500 and
upward, and anyone who's seen, say, Doom
on the PC will know that some of its best
games are very impressive and would take
something really special to better.
QUALITY GAMES
Perhaps more vital to the success of the
Jaguar than anything else is the number and
quality of games produced for the machine.
Nobody will buy even the best specified
machine in the world if the software support
isn't there. The Japanese giants have got this
right, and Atari must ensure that the Jaguar
gets the same chance.
Two firms currently developing software
for the console are Rebellion and Attention to
Detail. Who better to tell us what it is like to
program and what Its potential is than the
very people who have been, for the best part
poten-
tial mean
for those develop-
ing software such as Alien
vs Predator for it? Rebellion's Jason
Kingsley:
"At the moment we're pushing the Jaguar
as much as we can, but we think it can be
pushed even further. We don't think it's even
sweating with AVP."
When the ST first came out, people were
amazed at the initial games which became
available for it. But, as with every other plot-
form, as the programmers began to get to
know the machine a little better, to work out
the special tricks of the trade, short-cuts and
"undocumented" features (read: bugs) in its
operating system, the scope and quality of
the software released got steadily better and
better, to the point where we now see com-
plex games such as Zool converted across to
the ST with very little change from the
originals.
For the Jaguar, all of this means a very
exciting period ahead. Yau don't believe
me? Well it's time to look a little more closely
Rebellion Software
Formed over a year ago by scandalously young creative director Jason Kingsley, Rebellion
specialise in 3D work, making them an ideal firm to be developing for the Jaguar, with its
awesome graphics handling potential.
As well as Jason, the company's numbers are bolstered by Justin, Toby and Mike, who
between them handle all programming, model-making, photography and general game
design.
As well as working on Alien vs Predator, which has taken ten months to complete,
Rebellion have three more projects in development.
One, Chequered Flag, looks to be the racing game which will wipe the floor with all
others, and another four are currently awaiting confirmation. And the firm are not exclu-
sively Jaguar-based, either, with interests in PC game development, loo.
Will Atari's new Jaguar
succeed where the Lynx failed?
Is technical superiority enough?
And what's it like developing
games for the machine?
Phil Morse found the answers
to these questions and more
when he visited two firms at
the cutting edge of Jaguar
development
t\ neiv
76
at what is involved already in producing a
game for the console. Remember, the exam-
ple we're about to look at is one of the first
games made for the machine - and in the
words of the song, things
can only get better...
Obviously before pro-
gramming Alien vs
Predator, Rebellion had
to sort out the anomalies
of the machine, to get a
grip on the best way to
go about doing things.
As it is such a new con-
sole, however, they soon
found that programming
for it involved a little
more patience than with
tried -and -tested technol-
ogy. Jason:
' "When you've got a
beta [test]
machine, and
something goes
wrong in a pro-
gram, you don't
know what to
blame - your
code, their tools,
!,'f;tlX g - sweating with
ing but can be a * T TT%
major pain." J\y £\ mm
However, this
dipping of feet
into new waters
has its rewards
too. To throw
some specifications at you: With special pro-
gramming techniques, Rebellion reckon they
can squeeze 16 million still or 65,000 mov-
ing 16-bit images onto the screen, in 65,000
colours along with full stereo sound. Such
power calls for extreme techniques of game
development...
"Different processors can be used for
We don 't
think the
Jaguar is even
6
graphics, sound and gameplay with the
Jaguar," says Jason. "Some companies have
got scared and decided not to use them all!"
Not Rebellion, though. Their dedication to
achieving the best results
possible is obvious from
the start. Their route to
developing game char-
acters is a case in hand,
as highlighted in the
box-out.
The Jaguar may well
be a machine poised at
the beginning of a new
age for computer soft-
ware. With stereo, CD-
quality sound, true
colour graphics, and
awesome raw process-
ing power, the whole
structure and scope of
any software
house develop-
ing for the con-
sole will change.
"There are going
to be fewer peo-
ple programming
for the Jaguar,"
says Jason, "and
in much larger
teams. People
will specialise in
graphics or
sound. But the
value in the end
product will be
much better."
With a dedicated team making the sound-
track,, another handling characterisations
(already actors are being used in some
games in the industry to "play" the charac-
ters in a game) and more teams for all the
various aspects of game production, the fin-
ished products will begin to look more like
full-blown films, with the difference being a
9
- Jason Kingsley, Rebellion
full degree of user-interaction with the
"script" as it unfolds. "It's becoming quite
awesome/' says Jason. "We're being thrust
into movie production - it's scary, but excit-
ing. We're waiting for Spielberg to get in
touch..." So will the Jaguar see off the com-
petition? With the Sega and Nintendo sys-
tems beginning to show obvious signs of
ageing, many see Commodore's new CD32
console, with its Amiga pedigree, as
nearest rival.
But, os Jason points out, people are port-
ing old, unimpressive software straight from
the Amiga across to the CD32, leaving the
user unimpressed and hammering nails into
the machine's coffin at the same time.
We also discovered from Rebellion that
the Jaguar cartridges are capable of han-
dling up to 16Mb of game information, cur-
rently limited to 2Mb only by the cost of pro-
duction. So with the prospect of "games" [if
we'll still be colling them that) in the
future containing eight times the information
of something like Alien vs Predator, the
potential to see off everything bar the VHS
video recorder for realism is hard to ques-
tion.
About an hour's slightly
nore-than-leisurely
drive away from
Rebellion, in a farm ■
barn just outside
Warwick, reside
Attention to Detail
who can lay claim to
being the developers c
the very first Jaguar
game, Cybermorph,
which comes packaged with the machine.
Attention To Detail advised Atari on some of
the hardware specifications of the machine
when it was being designed.
It's such tweaks, and the fact that Atari lis-
tened to the advice from those in the know,
that seem to suggest that both the degree of
Atari's commitment to the Jaguar as well as
the technology itself are up to scratch.
"Atari were very helpful, incor-
porating a couple of new
Three of Rebellion's models. From left to right:
Skeleton and Zombie, from a new game working'
titled Dungeon; and Predator from Alien vs Predator
instructions at our requesf/'says director
Chris Gibbs. It does indeed seem that the
machine is well suited to the programming
needs of those who have been charged with
getting the games written and released - as
well of those of the people who play the
games in the end.
The follow up to Cybermorph is a similar-
concepted game, Battlemorph, in which ATD
hope to incorporated all of the things they
wanted to put into Cybermorph had they
had the time!
Of course, ATD are being paid for devel-
oping Jaguar games and so from the busi-
ness point of view, the degree of confidence
held by the firm in Atari's commitment to the
Jaguar is by the by.
But for the record, ATD's cautiously scep-
tical opinion of Atari's degree of commit-
ment changed markedly for the better after
attending the Jaguar's launch, and
they are confident that the
product at least has a good
chance of being a runaway
success.
y As they are very much
a technology-oriented
firm, with their expertise
lying in exploiting new
hardware and pushing techni-
cal boundaries, they make a
great contrast to Rebellion,
ndeed, the bits that
ion take so seriously
sometimes even get farmed
out (no pun intended) of the
wilding, leaving ATD to
get on with the num-
bers!
"We have a guy
called Dave Lowe
who is tried and
tested who does
all the samples
and music for
us," says Chris.
But, no doubt in
recognition of
the fact that soft-
^^^A ware develop -
^Bfc-" " |k ment in the future
^H is going to require
the large range of skills
^^^ discussed earlier, they
are currently in the
^m * process of setting up
« their own in-house
^B graphics department.
^W \ was bombarded
40W w ith ream after potential
ream of technical information
stuff like the fact that in
Cybermorph all the landscapes are generat-
ed using fractals from a random seed (to me
and this means thot the potential for variety
in the landscapes is immense) - but perhaps
more important is the level of co-operation
between ATD and Atari.
Atari's own design team were on-hand to
test and advise on the levels in Cybermorph,
for instance, and contact between Atari and
the firm is frequent.
This impression I got - one of Atari stay-
77
Action FEATURE
ing in touch with their developers, and
always striving to be helpful, was one which
grew stronger as research for this article
progressed.
Rebellion's Jason, for instance, had a
breakfast meeting with Sam Tramiel (Atari's
big man) just the morning before we came;
and when Atari found out that we were
doing this article, they briefed the
companies first - some may say paranoid
behaviour, but talcing this views belies the
obvious care and attention which Atari are
bestowing upon making the Jaguar's launch
a success.
Of course, if the Jaguar bore a Sega or
Nintendo badge, the world would be
r~ "We're
w waiting
for Spielberg
to get into a
touch!
-Jason Kingsley, Rebellion
poised for complete domination within
months by the little wonder box; with Atari
the predictions have been markedly more
cautious.
But with the ST range, Atari were, time
and time again, accused of releasing a
superior set of products, but falling short in
the marketing and support departments to
the extent that their apathy, arguably,
led the ST to never reach the kind of market
share it deserved. The Lynx - again,
technically superior by murdered on its feet
by the Japanese crew - is another case to
point.
So to the Jaguar. Technically superior,
and from the company that Invented the
games console as we know it, it deserves to
do extremely well.
This time, with the commitment shown by
Atari to the machine, it just might put Atari
back in a world-beating position in the mar-
ket console.
The fun-loving, happy-go-lucky Rebellion posse. From left to right:
Mike Beaton, Stuart Wilson, Toby Harrison-Banfield, Justin Rae
Drawn in pencil onto tracing paper, this is an example of some of the detail
that goes into a game such as Alien vs Predator; this is part of one of
Toby's panels form the terminal section of the game
Attention to Detail
Fourteen-people strong and headed by Chris
Gibbs, Attention To Detail are far more openly
technology-oriented than Rebellion, and so
provide an interesting contrast.
- Their offices are the epitome of laid-back,
with real wooden beams criss-crossing the
place, plants everywhere, and practically
everyone presiding over a pile of their
favourite CDs as well as the usual stationery
and computer stuff. There's even a sign pinned
up on the notice board politely banning swear-
ing...
As well as software development, ATD are
also active in the world of hardware and
design, and in coin-op development, and even
advised Atari on last-minute tweaks to the
Jaguar's design, getting things altered. Now,
objects more easily as you move towards and
away from them (a device used to great effect
by Rebellion in Alien vs Predator).
You make me feel so real
Rebellion's approach to 3D sprites is a great example of their commitment to realism. They
star) by ditching all things silicon and electronic, and making detailed, proper 3D models of
the characters. These may take an exceedingly large amount of time and effort to complete.
Justin:
"Zombie took about three days, made out of jointed, snap-together kits. To these are
added plaster, tea-bags - anything to hand that works."
Getting Hie models exactly right is paramount, because the next, innovative step is the
key to achieving convincing sprites on-screen.
On arriving at Rebellion we were curious to see a photographic backdrop, camera and
lighting equipment set up alongside the usual assorted disarray of computer equipment. It
turns out that the first stage of a character getting on-screen is its model having its photo-
giaph taken!
characters ever so slightly ond taking picture after picture, and with a lot
of potiwice (and film), it is possible to create convincing character movements by scanning
the pictures thus obtained directly into o development computer. This results in
an exceeding realistic character with equally realistic movements on the computer
screen.
In this way, the technology in the Jaguar is liberating for the programmer, as it allows the
creativity of real-life modelling and movement to be incorporated into computer software in
a far more natural way. It is actually, believe it or not, time-saving too.
"It takes about half the time to scratch-build a model; than to draw in 24-bit." says Justin.
As and when you get a chance to look at a copy of Alien vs Predator, the best way to see
the advances in realism that the use of such methods afford the programmer is to get to (or
get someone who knows the game to get you to!) the room where the eggs, a fa Alien, are
situated.
Get nearer to them and they open menacingly, just like in the film. And all it took was a
wad of latex, some skilful modelling and the ubiquitous 35mm camera. "There's no way the
Amiga could cope with AVP!" Jason states, somewhat unnecessarily...
78 sr
Get spaced out on this
mega-affordable board
game conversion
Choose your chapter please. Hmmm,
not the one that looks like Gary
Glitter, thafs for sure
Aah, Gretchin attack. Let's hope
those dice are on your side
other focility the chapter
requires.
The fleet rooms through the
galaxy in the pursuit of the ene-
mies of mankind. Task forces
break away from it for individ-
ual missions or campaigns, and
rejoin when their mission is accomplished.
To start off you will need to choose
which mission you want to try and accom-
plish, and which chapter of marines you
want (there are three, the Blood Angels,
Imperial Fists ond the Ultra Marines, so up
to three players can play).
The computer plays the port of the aliens
and you then
OK, being known as "Tina
cutesy platformer Hockett" for
obvious reasons, I was a tad
daunted to say the least when
confronted with this budget science fiction
RPG board conversion from Gremlin.
"What?" I asked with rising horror as
my mind clouded over with images of
greasy youths getting over-excited in
Games Workshop, hideously thick manu-
als, lots of complicated rules, and tonnes of
mind-boggling icons to control.
Well, five panic-stricken coffees later, I
gathered up all my courage and, after
flicking through the manual, started to play
the game. And how pleasantly surprised I
was.
The story behind the game goes some-
thing like this... (dramatic voice over, star
trek style please). Warp Space, the parallel
Scan those aliens. That Medikit
isn't going to help you now
view any equipment you possess, for
instance.
There are many other details of the
game which I could go into, but to really
appreciate it all buy the game and see for
yourself.
This is a darn fine budget release, RPG
fan or not (admittedly I wasn't one before f
played this). The graphics ond music create
a great space/science fiction type atmos-
phere.
Gremlin have also released another set
of missions to complete so the game should
last you a fair while.
TINA HACKETT
Yeikes! If s a Soulsucker,
sounds very painful
"And the Reds go marching on, on,
on." and, err, beat each other up.
universe, the domain of Chaos, an ancient
evil. War lasting over five thousand years
wracked mankind. Aliens plundered,
planet fought planet.
The Age of Strife as it was
known, the greatest time of peril
ever known to man, brought forth
a brave warrior. A brilliant sol-
dier, he reclaimed the worlds lost
to Chaos and created the most
powerful fighting force in the
Imperium, the space marines.
Right, dramatic bit over, this is
where you come in. The space
marines are organised into self-
contained chapters, each with its
own fleet.
A chapter's fleet provides
accommodation, training facilities, machine
shops, armouries, shuttle silos and every
through and destroy the dreadnought (a
fearsome war machine, developed by the
alien followers of Chaos) to "Purge and
withdraw"- Intelligence reports that the
alien vessel has three outer hull doors.
Open an outer hull door and withdraw
from the vacuum that will spread to the rest
of the ship.
Success in combat is decided by a roll of
the dice, so even if you launch a missile at
an enemy at point blank range it is still
possible to miss which may prove a little
annoying.
The game can be viewed from a 2D
view so strategy can be planned ( it is also
possible to scroll around to see the entire
area) or a 3D isometric view to enable you
to see a nice, grisly close up of completely
obliterating your enemy.
A user-friendly icon system makes the
game easy to control and is the main way
of moving your marine around. Click on
Scanner to reveal aliens or Equipment to
VISION
g«w »»'
uH
AUDIO
nrr
33
DIFFICULTY
rniimin
INSTABILITY
finiTTTTfl
Classic science fic-
tion RPG without the
boring bits! Easy to I ''-'
control, no tediously
long rules to learn, and great graphics
and sound.
Publisher* GBHGold
Developer > Gremlin
Disks > I
Price > £9.99
HD Install > No
Size* 1/2 Meg
■—
EwmM79
ROBOCOD
It's recently been released en budget, so for
gamers having trouble with Millennium's classic
platformer, here is a complete set of hints and
tips to the first five levels
This first world teaches you
how to do basic ele-
ments of the game such
as jumping over pits, col-
lecting bonuses, bouncing on ene-
mies, moving platforms and head-
banging blocks.
It also teaches you that you
must collect every penguin to
complete a level-an important
lesson if you want to get any-
where in the game. To the left
of the start is a battery and an
exit from the whole world.
From the last bonus block
t is possible to jump into
the edge of the roof
above the exit where to
your delight you will find two
W extra lives.
Level 1.2
Similar to the first level. Near the exit pole
there is a penguin which cannot be obtained
until the bonus block to the right of the exit is
hit and you've collected the wings. This
enables Robocod to fly and you can swoop
up to collect that elusive penguin.
alk left from the start onto the top tennis
ball and jump. You will find that there are
two extra lives hidden in the roof.
About four screens from the right-hand
corner of the world there are some bonuses.
These are in o small room at the top of the
screen but cannot be reached.
Just to the right of them is a plunger
which, if jumped on, will drop the bonuses
below the platform and you'll then be able to
collect them.
Level 1.3
A penguin can be seen in the room above.
The way to get to it is to travel to the top
room at the right-hand edge of this world-
head-butt the bonus block-you'll find an
aeroplane.
In the room above is an extra exit which
takes you to a bonus section. It is also possi-
ble to reach the top room by bouncing on the
bird in the room next door.
To the left of the exit pole, immediately
above the starting point, is an extra life cun-
ningly placed behind the left boxing glove. In
the wall immediately to the left of the two
penguins are two batteries which you'll need
to jump up to to obtain.
Level 2.1
Travel up and left on the moving platforms for
bonuses. Go right from the exit pole for extra
Level 2.2
Above your starting position there are a pair
of wings. To collect them you must enter the
second room along in the roof. Travel left as
far as you can possibly go and then jump on
the bird to go left a little bit further.
Once you have got the wings there is o
bonus exit at the top-right of this room and
more bonuses if you fly through the wall
under the exit pole. There are also some bat-
teries behind a solid wall. Travel to the top of
the wall where you'll be able to pass through
it.
Level 2.3
This world has no hidden bonuses contained
in it.
Bonus World 1
Jump up and right to get past the poles, then
jump into the cannon. After you have been
fired, push up to gain extra height, then
move left to land on the higher platform.
Collect the bonuses and leap into the second
cannon to reach the exit pole.
If you want extra bonuses (let's face it
who doesn't!), jump around the roof above
the exit pole and through a hidden hole in
the upright. Finally, jump over the exit pole
to obtain a hidden extra life.
Level 3.1
Travel along the floor for the easy route.
Towards the end of this world, loads of
bonuses
can be
seen on the
plates
above.
These are
there to
tempt you
Into taking
on the
birds but
this will end
up In you
losing a
life. Another exit can also be seen above the
normal exit.
There are also some wings hidden
among the many bonuses on the plates, so
take on the birds because there is an extra
battery up there anyway, then head for the
bonus world exit. The normal exit will take
you to level 3.2.
Level 3.2
There is a secret room above the first Bertie
Bassett that you will face. Jump onto the vat
of icing to drop into it. When you return
H£v)y|
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3—31
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you'll be back in the vat. There Is another
secret room in the roof just to the right of the
icing, It's quite similar to the first one, but
the chocolate border is unwrapped so you
can walk straight through it.
This leods to the exit pole. All the other
routes are dead ends, but are worth explor-
ing if you fancy collecting an extra life and
bonuses.
Level 3.3
From the first moving platform you can see a
hidden room. In this small room is a Penguin
bar which can be jumped into to gain invul-
nerability. The first exit pole, placed at the
bottom of the screen, is unfortunately a
dummy! If you do go over by accident it will
return you to
the start of
this world.
Above the
exit pole is
an arrow
pointing
upwa rds.
Jump up,
bove the
arrow, to
and on an
invisible ele-
vator. This
handy elevator will take you up to a new
cavern and here you will find the way out.
Before you enter if though, jump up
again where another invisible elevator will
take you up to a hidden room and you'll
find an extra life in there.
Level 3.4
Possibly one of the most difficult and frus-
trating levels in the game, so at this point try
and gain the patience of a saint. At the bot-
tom of the level there is a pair of wings hid-
den in the right-hand edge of the right-hand
cake. This wili make your life slightly easier,
but remember to keep an eye out for the
birds at the top of the level.
Level 3.5
A bit of a sneaky one this level because all
the exits restart this section. The intelligent
gamesplayer will notice a hole
in the floor. Drop down the
hole fo enter the next level.
Level 3.6
The is perhaps one of the easi-
est levels to complete in
Robocod and one of the most
obvious. It's upside down
which does confuse you at
first, but it's easy once your
eyes have adjusted them-
selves. Alternatively you could
just turn your monitor upside
down! One last thing is the
fact that four batteries are on
top of the top sweet.
Level 4.1
Relatively simple this level; use
the enemies to bounce up to
the bonus blocks and the rest
of the level is straightforward .
Level 4.2
The first scrolling section and it involves
bouncing along a runaway train. There
aren't many enemies to kill. To complete the
level all you have to do is avoid being
trapped.
Level 4.3
Quite a difficult level this one. Near the mid-
dle of the world are three red jumping
adversaries. Above the middle one is a hole
in the roof. Bounce on the middle jumper to
get in the hole. This hole will take you to the
second bonus level.
Bonus World 2
Jump on the nasties to make your way up
the screen. It's a difficult manoeuvre, but
essential if you want fo complete the level,
so it's worth persevering with.
Luckily there is an abundance of extra
lives and batteries at the top to make ail
your perseverance worthwhile. It's worth
remembering that when you leave this level
through the hole in the floor, you will go
back to level 4.3 exactly where you left it.
Level 4.4
Quite complicated so keep alert! From the
beginning of the level walk right and enter
the small cavern. Walk through the right-
hand wall of this cavern for a bunch of
bonuses.
Retrace your fishy steps and then start
walking right. Collect the bells from the next
cavern that you drop into.
In the next cavern you will
find two penguin bonuses
which have been placed in
the roof.
Walk past these info the
left-hand wall for the
bonus of an extra life.
Continue along the tunnels
until you reach the central
junction. There are four
tunnels leading off from
this point. The top left one
is where you came from.
The top right one goes
absolutely nowhere! Walk
down the bottom right tun-
nel towards the wall, this
will place you info a new
room. The obvious exit is
into the wall on the left, but
this takes you back to the
central junction.
Instead of that route ifs
possible to walk through
the right-hand wall into a
tunnel. There are some
bonuses dotted about and
you'll end up a little way back from the cen-
tral junction.
There are two objectives you must
achieve from the central junction. First of all,
take the bottom left tunnel to collect the pen-
guins. Secondly, you have to run down the
bottom right tunnel at top speed to break
through the wall!
When you've gone down the bottom left
tunnel, you will come to a long drop on the
left-hand side of the screen with an elevator
placed at the bottom. There are several
rooms on the right of this lift-shaft, in each
one there is a penguin.
When you've completed this little task,
drop onto the elevator platform and, as you
rise, jump into the first ledge in the wall and
wait until the elevator has gone by, Next
drop down the empty lift-shaft before the
elevator comes back.
Walk right and you can either walk into
the elevator wall to get back to the central
junction or walk up the slopes and come
running down to crash into the sealed bonus
rooms,
mam4!l8i
Which way you choose doesn't mat-
ter. The top room is more difficult to get
to, but has much better bonuses. When
you've collected all your penguins run
down the bottom right tunnel from cen-
tral junction to crash through the wall.
Walk right to collect the umbrellas
and drop into the bonus room. Collect
all the bonuses you can, stand on the up
arrows and extend to the exit pole.
Level 4.5
There are loads of curvy tunnels in this
world which seem to serve no purpose
except to allow a bit of fun by running
around them. At the bottom of each tun-
nel there's o hole in the roof containing
a bonus.
The first two tunnels lead to Bonus
Worlds and the next three contain coins,
lives and batteries. To the right of the
exit pole is an extra tunnel. To hit it run
from half-way down the last slope.
If you manage to get into the exit tun-
nel, at the very right-hand end of the
world are 200,000 points hidden in the
roof.
Level 4.6
Travel right from the start, up the incline
and knock a train out of the bonus
block. Jump on it to reach the tunnel
placed at the top-left of the screen.
In here you can obtain a car and kill
everything in the section. Also in the
small room, there are two extra lives
hidden in the higher side walls. At the
top of the second slope from the starting
point there is a room below you which
you cannot enter.
Go to the bottom right of the section
and jump on the plunger and this will
open the door for you. Make sure you
kill all the nasties with the car before
entering because you'll lose it here oth-
erwise.
Level 5.1
This level is fairly straightforward. There
are four exit poles at the end, numbered
one to four from top to bottom. Pole one
returns you to this world again. Poles
two and three take you to world two.
Pole four takes you to a bonus world.
About two screens from the start
there are some bonus blocks hidden in
the floor. Don't kill the second and third
birds as there are some more bonus
blocks above them. Hit the blocks to
knock out two batteries which you'll
need to be able to Jump on the back of
the birds to reach the other bonus
blocks
Bonus World 3
You have a choice to go either left or
right from the start, but unfortunately
you cannot do both. To the right there
are three bonus blocks containing poi-
son while to the left there are three good
bonus blocks containing extra lives.
There are also two exit poles, both of
which take you to Bonus World 4.
Bonus World 4
This stage appears identical to the last
world. The good and bad bonus blocks
have now been reversed. Make your
way to the right and you'll find that the
exit poles take you to Level 5.2.
Level 5.2
This basic section starts with domino
caverns, progressing to playing cards
and ending with yet more dominoes.
From the start a penguin can be seen in
each cavern and must be collected.
Towards the end, the caverns appear
again. One contains a penguin, one
contains absolutely nothing and the last
one has the exit pole to take you to the
next level.
In the empty cavern there's the only
double-blank domino in the entire stage.
There's a secret exit in the blank domino
which takes you to Bonus World Five.
Above the cards towards the end of the
section there is also an extra room. This
is hard to enter and contains bonuses, a
secret exit to Bonus World 5 and a
bonus block containing a plane.
Bonus World 5
This bonus world comprises a mini-
maze containing a few domino spots
and a number of invisible walls.
Level 5.3
There is nothing special about this level,
all you have to do is complete it.
Level 5.4
Things have gone a bit dull because just
like the level before there is nothing
here except the exit to the next stage.
Level 5.5
Go past the exit pole at the right-hand
edge of the map and off the end of the
map to Bonus World Six.
Oo now that's cheatin'!
As soon as the game starts, send Pond jumping up to the top of the first roof where you'll
find an Apple, Earth, Cake, Hammer and Tap. Take the first letter of each Item and you'll
AECHT which is an anagram of CHEAT.
Collect the objects in the right letter order to gain invincibility. If you then enter the first
room and exit immediately via the left-hand point, all the game's doors will be unlocked.
Throughout the game you'll notice more of these cheat anagrams. The three words
which you can spell are CHEAT, LIVES and POWER. Remember to^
keep your eyes openfor clusters of bonuses coupled together.
j82§pg!BIE21
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Fight your way through the explorers levels
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Atari ST User February 1994
Call me!
Ian Waugh on a new musician' s bulletin board, and why a previous effort
floundered. Plus all the latest from the ST music world
There has been a lot of talk
in the music industry over
recent years about commu-
nication with the customer.
Believe it or not, the music compa-
nies do want to talk to you, they
do want to tell you about their
new products and they do want
you to have software updates.
What they're not so keen on is
tying up several man-hours every
day answering phone calls and
mailing out ,
new product
information
and floppy
disks. It's not
very cost
effective for
them but they
do it because
it's the only
way to reach
the customer.
One alter-
native to this
approach
Welcome to Sonic Boot
to the Akai support BBS
use a BBS (bulletin board system).
This has been tried in the past
although not by any one company.
There was a BBS called The Music
Network which may or may not
still be in existence, but never real-
ly took off.
It tried to pull together all the
major music companies and
offered a one-stop shop for musi-
cians who could log on to the
board, leave messages for the
companies, download software and
catch up on the news - which was
much more up-to-date than a mag-
azine can present it. Its failure, I
believe, was due to two main rea-
sons. First of all, it cost money,
something most musos usually find
in short supply. It didn't just have a
subscription charge but an online
charge, too. It certainly stopped
me joining - my phone bill is far
too high without that.
Secondly, not many musicians
have modems. I'm sure many
more have them now than had
them five
years ago but
the number is
still small.
Shame,
because
comms has a
lot to offer.
As a musician,
comms keeps
you in touch
with your fel-
low artists
however far
away they may
be. You can post messages in con-
ference areas and ask for help with
software or musical instruments.
You can download software
updates - providing the suppliers
put them there! - which may be
bug fixes or program updates
which companies would usually
mail free to registered users.
Also, for a computer user,
comms gives you access to an
enormous range of PD and share-
ware programs. Many of these are
music-related, especially for the
ST, while others are utilities and
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RL Digital Ltd
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■ Unregistered Info / Free PD File Areas.
You navigate your way around Sonic Boom
with an easy-to-use single-key menu system
applications to make life with your
computer a little easier.
The nice thing about comms is
that everything is so quick. You
can have an answer to a problem
within a day or two and you can
have the software now! Instant
gratification.
The reason for this preamble is
to do with an announcement
which appeared in the last col-
umn's News section - Akai have
set up a BBS called Sonic Boom.
It's actually being run by a compa-
ny called A L Digital which handle
some tech support for Akai and
are taking over distribution of the
Akai sample libraries.
The BBS was in the process of
being set up when I logged on and
many areas were still under con-
struction. They include the Akai
area, of course, one for Virtual S
which will be about virtual reality,
and one for the MCPS. There will
also be a MUG called Lap of the
Gods.
The only major software area at
the time was some 4,500 PC files
but the sysop, Dominic Hawken,
is looking for some good ST mate-
rial and with any luck there will be
something for you to download by
the time you read this.
The BBS will have a Questions
& Answers section, a Members
Notice Board, supply product
news, hold details of software
updates and let you download
samples directly into your com-
puter.
But the most important thing is
- it's free! At least for the time
being. Well done to Akai. Let's
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The Akai conference area promises lots of
product news, technical support - and software!
The Kyle Appeal
cian Kyle Harris who has
contracted multiple sclero-
sis. He's trying to raise
money for the MS Society
and is being sponsored to
achieve various objectives.
One is to get as many men-
tions in the press as he can!
Another is to collect auto-
graphed photos of celebri-
ties in the music, sport or
media business. Kyle
released a cassette of his
that he's chair-bound.
Another project is to cre-
ate a studio for similarly dis-
abled people and to that
end donations of suitable
equipment would be appre-
ciated. If any manufactur-
ers, retailers or individuals
think they can help in any
way, contact Kyle on 0695
27709.
Atari ST User February 1994
hope the BBS is a success and
encourages other companies to
follow suit. I do know that a music
area on another BBS is trying to
get off the ground so more news
if and when this happens.
Meanwhile, if you know of any
BBS with good support for musi-
cians or, indeed, if you have dis-
covered a good PD music pro-
gram, drop me a line.
Sonic Boom is on 081-994
9119. Use the usual 8N I setting in
your comms software. It supports
speeds up to 14000 band. A L
Digital's voice number is 081-742
075S.
Music Update
Spaced out
It seems that rarely a month
goes by without something from
Heavenly Music dropping on my
desk. This latest disk is Hoist's
Planets Suite - very appropri-
ate, don't you think? It contains
seven files - one for each planet
- plus the usual excellent HM
documentation.
The original work was writ-
ten by Hoist between 1914 and
1917 and was composed for a
very large orchestra. The pro-
grammer, Nick Ruggles, spent
five and a half months poring
over the score in order to
reduce it to a size suitable for a
GM instrument.
did find that the files sound-
ed slightly better when played
on a Roland Sound Canvas than
Yamaha CBX-T3 which
seemed to produce a rather
harder sound. Although all GM
instruments sound approxi-
mately the same, there are dif-
ferences which can show up if
you customise a file to a partic-
ular instrument too much.
However, the Suite is some-
thing of a tour de force. You can
see how much work has gone
into its production when you
examine the files. The velocities
have been carefully adjusted to
create the vast volume ranges in
the work.
But if you're not in an inves-
tigative mood you can just sit
back and listen. Very impressive
indeed.
Hoist's Planets Suite is £19.95
plus £1.50 p&p from: Heavenly
Music, 39 Garden Road, jaywick
Village, Clacton on Sea CO 1 5
2RT. Tel: 0255 434217.
One of the more quiet sections in Mars from Hoist's Planets Suite
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The programmer has convincingly condensed The
Planets' massive orchestral score into a GM format
• Got a Roland D50/550? Sounds OK are now distributing Sound
Support's Classic Synthesizer Collection, a set of 84 sounds
programmed to emulate old analogue synths using only analogue
waveforms. It's available on an ST downloader disk and costs £28
plus £1 p&p. More from Sounds OK on 0276 22946.
• Rave. Not only a type of music but the name of a new ST
sequencer. Well, it's not brand new, actually. It's an updated
version of the Rave sequencer which was developed a couple of
years ago by The Digital Muse who developed Virtuoso and
Prodigy. The Muse have now had a name change to Muse
Marketing and Rave now includes notation and event editing,
support for Standard Midi Files and the ability to playback
samples. It costs a very nominal £49.99. More from The Software
Business on 0480 496497.
• How's your knowledge of Sys Ex? Fancy writing your own synth
editor? Then CP-Gen is for you. You use different types of
controller icons to transmit the various Midi messages and you
arrange them on a control panel of your own design. There are
three types of receiving devices which let you design your own
Midi monitor to look at Midi activity in your system. We'll have a
full review for you very soon but if you can't wait you can send £3
for a comprehensive demo pack which is refundable if you order
the full program. CP-Gen costs £79.95 and is the first product
from GRI Soft, who you can contact on 0494 443266.
~> Yamaha, those bastions of PD support software, have
commissioned the German Y-Not team to write an editor for the
TG500. Take 500 has librarian and edit facilities for all sections of
the module including voices, performances and multi-timbral
setups. Unfortunately, it's not really compatible with the SY85. It
handles certain aspects of the instrument but frequently reports
a Midi Checksum Error. Still, that was not its purpose in life and
TG500 users will be delighted. Contact Yamaha for your free
copy: 0908 366700.
• Last April we reviewed a disk from Westec Services which set
up a Roland MT32/CM-32/CM-64/D-I 10/10/20 with GM-type
voices. The company have now added three other disks to their
range. Get Dumps saves patch settings directly to your
sequencer. There's a disk of Cubase Midi Manager files which let
you control just about everything from within Cubase, and
there's a Replacement Sounds disk which presents the 64 preset
sounds with "improved" versions. All disks are £7.95 fully
inclusive. More from Westec on 0621 88466.
• AudioCalc is a Professional Audio Calculator for the ST which
performs five types of calculation frequently required in audio
engineering: sound (delays, distances and frequencies), tape
(various play time calculations), Music (tempo, note and echo
sums), analogue (decibel conversions) and Digital (storage sizes,
sample rates and so on). It looks like a very sophisticated piece of
software. May have a closer look next month if I can get my
maths head on. Meanwhile, it's yours for £39.95 from Hinton
Instruments who can be reached on 0373 451927.
• The keyboard is far and away the most popular instrument used
for Midi input although there are Midi version of guitars and
many string and wind instruments. Now an enterprising fellow
has designed a Midi Melodeon which was demonstrated at the
Edinburgh Festival. However, it's still in the prototype stage
while he seeks assistance from instrument manufacturers. For
more info contact Steve Simpson on 03 1-555 2477.
Atari ST User February 1994
offers
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on +44 506 4 1 463 I to find out the cost of carriage to your country.
This great package includes a
superb mult-media digitiser,
comprehensive manual and
phono cable. The Vidi ST 12-bit (4,096 colours) video
digitiser can be used to produce colour or mono images
or animations in almost any resolution and colour mode.
The manual clearly explains everything you need to
know. It takes you through setting up, provides a tutor-
ial covering the most important points of the package,
and there's a lengthy reference section, a trouble shoot-
ing chapter and a glossary.
System requirements: Atari ST, STE and Falcon, double sided disk
drive, 1Mb minimum, 2Mb recomended
Don't risk missing your
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Atari ST User February 1994
Computers are a bit like
cars; you tend to take
them for granted but when
they break down your
whole daily routine gets badly
upset. Everything suddenly has to
be done the hard way.
Just like walking or waiting in
bus queues seems to be so much
harder now than it used to be
before you first got a car, suffering
the indignity of having to write let-
ters manually or doing without
your daily on-line fix seems hardly
bearable.
For a computer journal-
ist, hardware breakdown
is even more than an
inconvenience - it's a dis-
aster of the same order as
an engine failure is for a
taxi driver.
I recently suffered not
just one but two of these
disasters when first my
Mega ST and then its external hard
disk played dead. In the case
of the Mega, it was nothing more
serious than the power supply
unit (easily though expensively
replaced), but with the hard
drive just about everything seemed
to have gone wrong at the same
time: the drive and the power
supply.
TPICKY
By the time you read this, every-
thing will hopefully be back to nor-
mal but the successive failures of
computer and hard drive just when
the deadline for this column was
looming raised a number of tricky
issues with regard to the Mac and
PC emulators,
I was not, after ali, completely
computerless at any time since I
am lucky enough to have an Atari
TT030 sitting on my desk next to
the Mega ST. So why not use that
instead, it's a lot faster after all?
Now as far as PC emulation is
concerned, the TT is definitely a
no-go area, if only because it is
physically impossible to install the
A brace of
hardware disasters
forced Giinter
Minnerup into
some pretty
desperate measures
this month
bundled with a software PC emula-
tor achieving unheard-of Norton
speed ratings...
A shame also for the PC-Ditto
developers, I guess, who may have
done better out of writing such a
68030 software emulator than
their ill-fated PC-Ditto II hardware
board which never worked reliably
and finally caused the company's
downfall.
I then tackled Spectre GCR,
encouraged by the 68030-related
options in the configuration menu
and the optimistic talk in the docu-
emulation with just one single flop-
py disk drive: it's an extremely frus-
trating experience indeed and you
begin to understand immediately
why Apple have not sold floppy-
only systems for a very long time.
For a start, floppy disk access
under the Mac operating system is
even slower than under TOS, but
the real headaches are caused by
the Mac's need for frequent access
to the System files.
With most of the more substan-
tial Macintosh applications, it is just
about impossible to fit everything
When the chips
hardware emulation cards.
That didn't stop me, however,
from making a desperate attempt
to get the ancient PC-Ditto soft-
ware emulator to work, with pre-
dictably unimpressive results.
Translating Intel into Motorola
code "on the fly" and achieving a
very high degree of PC compatibili-
ty in an ST environment was some
achievement for the PC-Ditto team
- even though it had to be paid for,
of course, with very sluggish per-
formance - but it is just too much
to expect it to work on a 68030
processor run at 32MHz in a box
that the developers of this emula-
tor could never even had dreamed
of at the time.
I even tried the shareware "ST
emulator" Backward, but although
this is concerned precisely with
making stroppy old ST software
run on a 68030, it is Falcon-specific
and doesn't want to know about
the TT at all.
A shame really, since I vaguely
remember the good old days when
Atari launched the TT with much
fanfare as the new supercomputer
of the decade, and how it would be
PCDHEHU.PRG
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The venerable PC-
Ditto software PC
emulator: this
configuration
screen is about all
that will show up
on the TT
are down
mentation of speed-of-light Mac
emulation on the TT.
Since this was just before the
Mega's hard drive gave up its ghost,
and I knew that Spectre didn't like
either the TT's built-in SCSI drive, I
plugged in the hard disk on the
ACSI (DMA) port. No luck. It hung
every time I quit the configuration
menu to enter Spectre proper.
And since th* 1 TT, despite its
high performance, was Atari's
worst marketing flop in recent his-
tory, Spectre's developer Dave
Small never bothered to iron out
the problems either.
BEAVERING
Rumour has it that he is now
beavering away on a Falcon 030
upgrade and I retain some hope
that this may also sort out the TT,
but I'll believe it when I see it.
Meanwhile, Falcon owners can at
least get PC emulation - and very
nicely too, with a colour VGA
screen - by investing in Compo's
FalconSpeed.
Then, as soon as the Mega's PSU
was fixed, the hard disk conked
out. Now I had a computer that
would run the emulators but was
reduced to floppy disks as a stor-
age medium - 720k double density
disks at that (memo: must upgrade
to high density floppies one
of these days). What is more,
only one drive; most hard drive
owners do not bother with second
floppy drives, and I am no
exception.
Now if you have never done this
I would like you to try out Mac
you need (system files, fonts, pro-
gram files, data, not to mention
desk accessories and CDEVs) onto
a double-density disk so my advice
is to forget the whole idea of flop-
py-only Mac emulation unless you
have two drives and saintly
patience.
Matters are only marginally bet-
ter with PC emulation. The DOS
operating system is more manage-
able from a single floppy, and
enough of it memory- resident to
require only very occasional access
to a system disk after boot-up.
But you are certainly back in the
command prompt stone age again
because Windows is, of course,
totally out of the question - my
normal, fairly modest, Windows
setup demands over 6Mb of hard
disk space!
It is after such trials, of course,
that you suddenly begin to appreci-
ate the merits of Atari's decision to
install the entire TOS/GEM operat-
ing system and user interface in a
ROM chip. Whatever the difficul-
ties of distributing bug fixes and
upgrades, it certainly makes for an
eminently usable single-floppy
setup.
There is, of course, a way of at
least slightly alleviating the difficul-
ties of single-floppy-only operation,
provided you have enough memory
- a RAM disk. Even if you do have
two floppies or even a (functioning)
hard drive, RAM disks can be
quite useful. The installation and
benefits of RAM disks in the PC
and Mac environments will be the
subject of next month's Emulation
Aspects.
Atari ST User February 1994
back issues
s«»r bci
nd bind
Be
Have you missed one of our last six issues? Well now's your chance to
bring your collection up to date - but hurry stocks are limited!
< fc-.
FEATURES: Adventure game round-up.
public domain guide, mice and track-
balls and word processing
REVIEWS: Prism Paint, Easy Text
Professional. Warp 9 and Chronos 3D
ON DISK: STOS 3D VALUED AT £35
FEA TURES; Upgrading the ST. Frankfurt
Music Fair, hard drive management.
piracy, PostScript priming and
beginners' guide pt2
REVIEWS: Stylus BOO printer, Midi
Studio Master and Calamus S
ON DISK: Personal Finance Manager
VALUED AT £40
FEATURES: improvisation programs,
professional Atari support and DTP
guide pt.1
REVIEWS: Video Tiller, Falcon Speed,
View II. scanning solution and NVDI
2.51
DAI DISK: Word Writer VALUED AT £50
FEATURES: Transform images using
morphing techniques
REVIEWS: HarleKin 3. Easy Text Vector.
Chroma 24. Mortimer and Geneva
0NDISK:V\a\ ST (12] software
FEATURES: Databases compared.
FontGDOS explored, desk accessories,
PC to ST transfer and colour printers
REVIEWS: Air Warrior. Word Flair II,
Multiprint, Diamond Edge, Video Masier
and Noddy's Playtime. ON DISK: Mini
Office Spreadsheet VALUED AT £35
FEATURES: Graphics packages
compared, fixing faulty STs and Atari in
Europe
REVIEWS: Slave Driver, TruePaint.
NeoDesk 3, NeoDesk CLI. Convector
Professional. Musicom and Arabesque
ON DISK: Devpac ST2 VALUED AT £60
FEA TURES: Ray-tracing for Atari
computers, music on the Thames,
printer round-up and DTP guide pt2
REVIEWS: Atari Works, HP Portable
printer, Microvitec Cub-Scan monitor
and Supermon
ON DISK: Prodata VALUED AT £80
Store your magazines in
top condition with
this high quality
Atari ST User binder
FEATURES: Scanners
communications guide. Falcon v Amiga and
PCs and General Midi explained
REVIEWS: Lizard. Calligrapher 3 and
Overscan
ONDISK.Mml Office Communications
VALUED AT E35
FEATURES: How to write music with
the ST. Midi buyers' guide. Falcon
explored, floppy drive round-up. C
tutorial and beginners' guide p!1
REVIEWS: DA's Vector and Laserjet 4
ON DISK: HiSott C. Stereo Master
software. VALUED AT £70
7HTT1
FEATURES: Multimedia explained,
monitor round-up, picture viewing
utilities and how to compute safely
REVIEWS: Mouse Tricks 2, John the
Composer, DataPulse Plus.
Retouch/Didot. NameNet, DataLite and
EdHak ON DISK: Video Masier software
and TtuePa'nt demo
FEATURES: The world's greatest hacks.
replacement desktops compared, soft-
ware buyers' guide and Atari printing
bureaux
REVIEWS: Direct-to-disk recording soft-
ware, MultiTOS, Pad 2 and SpeedoGDOS
ON DISK: STOS Compiler and STOS
VALUED AT £50
STUSED
CHRISTMAS
_ CRACKERS!
EVERYTHING ^Q^^'^
VI ATARI ST
F&ITWffS.-Genlocking, home accounting, how
software reaches the shop floor and jargon
REVIEWS: Pretext 6. Chagall. Sweet Sixteen
and Ultimate Virus Killer 5.9
FREE: 32-page ST Action games supplement
ON TWO DISKS: Demos of Pretext 6 word
processor and MicroProse's Dogfight air battle
FEATURES: Best software and hard-
ware recommendations and hardware
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Please place your orders using the Readers' Offers form on page 85
Ml Atari ST User February 1 994
Get into the net
The problem with the
worldwide network of
computer systems that is
Internet is that it is so
huge. It can be extremely daunt-
ing for newcomers to dip their
toes into - especially if such toe-
dipping explorations have
to be accomplished from
one end of a long-distance
telephone line.
Of course, there are
online help facilities,
assuming you know how to
use them. There have even
been Internet training
courses which took place
on Internet.
What was really needed
was a good manual cover-
ing the basic techniques
and ground rules - prefer-
ably in layman's terms! This
fact was not lost on author
Ed Krol, and was the inspi-
ration for his excellent
work The Whole Internet, A
User's Guide & Catalog.
The book starts off
assuming that the user has
little or no knowledge of
Internet - either what it is,
or how it works. The first
few chapters discuss the
network and its history,
also going into some detail
on the courtesies and pro-
tocols of using such a far-
reaching system.
The rest of the book is
divided into sections cov-
ering such black arts as
finding software and then
accomplishing the neces-
sary file transfers, elec-
tronic mail, remote logins,
reading news on the net-
work, and a variety of
other areas.
The style is chatty but
informative, and there is a
comprehensive index to
help you navigate your way
around some of the more
complex issues. A useful
pull-put Quick Reference
Card bookmark is also
provided, which short-lists
the most common commands.
The Whole Internet can act
both as a reference work and as
a tutorial, allowing you to either
read chapter by chapter or dip in
to learn more about a particular
function - although the later sec-
tions do tend to assume an
understanding of the basic termi-
nology, mainly that associated
with the Unix system upon
Andre Willey takes a look at Ed Krol's
comprehensive guide to the cyberspace
world of Internet
The Whole
INTERNET
User's Guide & Catalog
Ed Krol
O'Reuxy & associates, Inc.
which so much of the Net
depends.
The final section of the book
deals with the resources available
on Internet. One of the most fre-
quently asked questions is not
"how do I use Internet?" but
"what is available there?". In fact,
the answer to the first question
is often a lot simpler than the
second.
There are literally thousands
of information sources scattered
among hundreds of thousands of
sites around the world. It's
rather like going into a library
and asking the librarian "which
books should I read?"
Krol devotes nearly 50 pages
to a listing of some of the larger
resources available on the net-
work - from Agriculture to
Zymurgy - taking in such diverse
subjects as Finance, Medicine,
Music, Oceanography, Religion,
Science fiction, Sports, Travel
and Weather Forecasting en
route. Listings are given for the
major usenet newsgroups in each
subject area, plus associated
file storage (FTP) sites and
even online research facili-
ties which can be contacted
via the Telnet system.
As importantly, the book
also tells you the various
ways to use Internet to
acquire more about itself,
The gopher system is proba-
bly the most common, and
can be used to find and
access resources without
necessarily knowing the full
routing complexities that
the system has undertaken
on your behalf.
Krol also goes on to cover
WAIS and the World Wide
Web - a hypertext-based
system which allows you to
quickly cross-reference tex-
tual information to find out
more details on a variety of
subjects.
In fact, the book itself is a
case study in using Internet.
In his introduction, Ed Krol
tells us that he first "met"
his editor via electronic
mail, and the entire contents
of this 376 page book were
transferred between author
and publisher on a regular
basis via Internet.
At the time of completing
the work, Krol had not actu-
ally met in person anyone
from the publishing house.
It's only possible to scratch
the surface of such a book in
this short space, but this is
an indispensable work for
anyone contemplating seri-
ous use of Internet -
whether that be via a large
business or university com-
puter, or through an Atari
ST and one of the UK ser-
vice providers such as CIX
or Demon Internet Services.
Title: The Whole Internet,
User's Guide & Catalog
Author: Ed Krol
Publisher: O'Reilly &
Associates, Inc.
ISBN: I-56592-02S-2
Price: i 18.95
Atari ST User February 1994
Light Force (ST Only) £5.95
10 Great Games £9.9. r
Magnetic Scrolls Collection £9.
2 Hot 2 Handle £9.
Virtual Reality Vol 1 £9.!
Virtual Reality Vol 2 £9.9!
Hannah Barbera Collection £6.95
Super Heroes £9.95
Champions £8.95
Frontier Elite II.... £21.95
Zool £18.95
Pushover . £16.95
Supe- Saace/Pirtighier £12.95
Streei F,gnter2 £1 /.95
Dungeo- f/aster.'Chaos Stn<os Back £20.95
Populous II (520) £22.95
Chaos Engine £17.95
Prerr^' Manager £17.95
Leisure Suit Larry 1 £17.95
Lemmings 2 (Tribes) £22.95
Fire Zone . £6.95
Boroc -o £9.95
Vulcar. £17.95
Overlord C17.95
Frontl.ro . £18.95
Ancie-l Bjltios £18.95
* BARGAINS AT £5.95 EACH *
* OR ANY TWO FOR £10.95 *
Sonic Boom - Twin World - Baal - Photons Storm -
Smash TV - Big Run - Fighting Soccer - Fun School 2
- Heroes of the Lance - IK+ - Manchester United -
European Super League - Hudson Hawk - Carrier
Command - Galaxy Force - Total Recall - Gold Runner
2 + Data Disk - Bubble Bobble - Tetra Quest -Football
Manager 2 - Bloodwych - Rick Dangerous 2 - Blue
Angel 69
* JOYSTICKS *
video Joystick
Quickshot II (Autofire) £5.95
Star LC10 Mono ..... £3 45
Star LC10 Col C5.95
Star LC24/10 Mono £3.95
Citizen 120D Mono £3.45
E3g^EHE31
2 Holder Slimpak EO 95
00 Holder Lockabie . £7.95
50 Holder Stackab e E15.95
3.5" Disk Labels 4u for £0.95
3.5" Head Clearing K.:s £3.95
ST Dust Covers £3 95
* PRODUCTIVITY SOFTWARE *
Playback .£19 95
3D Construction K.: V I £19,95
Data + Secunty Handler. £6 95
Cyber Paint V2 £3995
esPlus C9.95
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& ML ATARI, AMIGA & PC SOFTWARES Nott$NG17 7DJ
(Please specify which computer) Tel: 0623 754061
D045 Sid James Demo STE 1 Meg
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D074 Hardcore Dance II
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D078/79 Dreamzone (2 Disks)
G093 Blat STE Great game
G094 Blockbusters Quiz
G065 Grav2/l8S Guardian
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G101 Brain Damage Quiz
G102 Grandad 2 (3 Disk] 1Meg
G104 Bio-Hazard 1Meg Game
W001 ST Writers, 4 others
W012 DB Writer Wordprocessor
U004 Double Sentry Accounts
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U057 YR 2nd Atari Manual
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U076 Disk full of copiers
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M073 Megatiser 2.4 Tracker
M088 88 SPL Samples S Tracker
M120 Kosmic 4 Mew & better
M121 Merka Modules
M123 Zonk 1 MG Patternmaker
M124 Paintpot Art Package
T001 The Planets Slideshow
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T005 Geography
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T021 Dot to Dot Kids Art
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T056 STOSUser Diskzine 8
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Desk File Edit Options Page notes Text"" MIDI
— l '| ! ) | tl-„ i'-npusi---' - i. ■ M ! ! t - " ' ' ;■ ' ■ ■ ' ' Ik
•f G
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ry'^ ' j; Bp3£ p&^
DEMONSTRATION DISK AVAILABLE
Upgrade available for registered users.
^ai/u&oM i s the ultimate publishing system
for music. It is the only
professional product of its kind for the Atari ST
and Falcon, and it is used by musicians,
composers, orchestras, copyists and publishers.
Unlike other packages, SharpScore is based
around the page layout, for complete control of the
final result in the highest quality. You have
complete control over spacing, text fonts, note
beaming, line thicknesses, and a variety of other
parameters. It is powerful to use, but incredibly
easy to learn.
This new version of the program incorporates
many new powerful editing functions, Automated
Part Extraction, optional Automated Note
Beaming, larger symbol repertoire, extended chord
window facility, real time entry from a MIDI
keyboard, playback of scores, graphics functions
import and export and MIDI file import and
export. This allows the transfer of files from
sequencer packages for typesetting and printing.
For more details, a demonstration disk and
example printouts, or to place an order, contact:
Institute of Research & Development
University of Birmingham Research Park
Vincent Drive, Birmingham B15 2SQ, U.K.
Tel. 021 415 4155 - Fax. 021 415 4156
Atari ST User February 1994
Really good
enough to eal
N
o, not the drop-down
kind, rather the menus
you find yourself staring
at blankly in restaurants
wondering whether you
can afford that delicious sounding
French concoction with the unpro-
Andrew Wright starts a new series on
practical document design. This month
it's the turn of menus...
Choose the right font and graphic - this is PageStream's Artistik font
nounceable name, as well as a
starter, or whether you should pre-
tend not to be hungry...
It's surprising how many restau-
rants can cook up a wonderful meal
but let themselves down badly with
poorly presented written material
such as adverts, wine lists and
menus.
I know of two upmarket places
locally that use an old typewriter
with scrawled corrections in biro -
not the best way to encourage win-
dow shopping customers to wan-
der inside or those drinking in the
bar to stay and dine. I don't sup-
pose many of you will actually own
restaurants but if you have an
enterprising nature, local caterers
present an opportunity to put your
DTP talents to good use.
With a little application and the
right approach, designing and pro-
ducing menus can make you some
money.
Once you have a selection of ten
or 20 standard designs, put them
together into a portfolio and show
them to your prospective "clients"
as you visit them.
You'll be surprised how many
restaurants are looking for a low
Only ten months to Christmas
time for Christmas!
However, the pack is such good
value that it's well worth a quick
look. For £49 you get 15
PostScript Type I fonts but the
interesting thing is that they're
also very good for documents
such as menus.
One is a picture font called
Xmas Icons, but the other 14 are
ideal for all sorts of occasions.
pleasing sent fonts tor body text -
Ellington and Horley Old Style,
each in Roman, italic, bold and
bold italic.
Thirdly there are three script
faces. Commercial Script,
Engravers Old English and French
Script, and two display faces,
Colonna and Falstaff Festival.
And finally there is Centaur
Festive Italic, an exciting italic face
with some interesting swash char-
acters. For more information call
Monotype on 0737 765959.
cost, reliable service and if you've
got ready-made designs that need
a minimum of alteration, you can
do a quick, professional looking job.
In terms of actual design, the
typeface is very important. Script
typefaces tend to work best but
they can sacrifice legibility if used
at smaller point sizes.
If you're having to cram a lot on
a page, go for an old style or tran-
sitional serif typeface or perhaps
an italic instead. Garamond
Antiqua is a good choice for
PageStream users while the ST
Club's Derwent is worth consider-
ing for Timeworks users.
Small logos and relevant graphics
can be used artistically to liven up
the menu page and borders can
also be a good idea - try a border
made up of bunches of grapes or
wine glasses for a wine list and per-
haps knives and forks, plates or
something like candlesticks for the
menu itself.
Size is important too. While A4
is perfectly acceptable, many
restaurants prefer A3 sized or even
larger menus that open a bit like
newspapers and while you can cre-
ate large menus by tiling your out-
put, reproduction will probably
require a large commercial photo-
copier. Other places - particu-
larly Indian and Chinese takeaway
restaurants - use A4 pages folded
twice to create a small booklet.
Consider the use of tab leaders
(lines of dots or dashes automati-
cally inserted when you insert a
tab) to ensure that the price and
the product can be correctly linked.
This is particularly important in
wine lists which tend to be quite
densely packed with information.
Don't forget all the other things
that restaurant customers will need
to know such as whether service
and VAT are included.
M i» ii
IMEH U23.DIP PIPAGE 1
"LAYER 1 I 1 'HOKE !
Effenu
**,»*>*>*■ Starters **■ >*■ ** **
Smokf,<C trout vAih. adnonds
tPrawm cockiail
MtCon andraspitrry
9imz produced duck. B-Vtr pati
A full page menu being designed using PageStream
FONT OF THE MONTH
This month's font answers {rather belatedly) at least half a dozen queries
from readers over the past couple of years. Yes, there is a chess piece
font and yes, it's freely available!
The font in question is an Adobe original in PostScript Type I format
suitable for use with PageStream or Didot or converted using Fonty for Calamus,
and is freeware, being available on both CIX and CompuServe and proba-
bly one or two of the font-oriented PD libraries such as ST Club and
Image Art.
Cheq consists of all the black and
white pieces with or without a diagonally
shaded background. It is ideal for chess
buffs who want to produce club maga-
zines or pass around complex problems,
not to mention those of you who can see the
attraction of incorporating chess pieces into
graphics designs and logos. Don't fancy the rook's chances,
Atari ST User February 1994
OU
J
d^WJ
Starting up a small business is
unlikely to result in a spell
behind bars unless you
deliberately set out to
deceive or deal in stolen or
otherwise illegal commodities.
However, there are many pitfalls
for the unwary, and failure to
comply with requirements can
result in major problems.
Learning what the law says about
business and taking steps to comply
will mean you are sufficiently well
organised to meet not only every
requirement of the law, but many
of the requirements of successful
business management too.
Where does the ST fit in to all
this? It can take the tedium out of
the work involved and help you stay
on top of figures, correspondence
and other tasks involved (see "The ST
and the law").
One of the major questions any
business must answer at the outset
is: What legal form should the
business take?
There are four main options:
1 . Sole trader
2. Partnership
3. Limited company
4. Co-operative
If you are starting up entirely on
your own, the most likely form for
your business is that of sole trader.
For businesses involving two or
more people, the options are
partnership, limited company or
co-operative.
Sole traders can trade under
their own name, or under a
business name and despite the title,
can employ staff.
The major disadvantage is that if
business does not take off the way
the business plan (remember that?)
indicated, personal belongings can
be seized by creditors or their
Making it legal
"How do I know what I'm doing is legal?" is a common
question asked by people starting a business. Richard Williams
brushes up on business law for the first of a new series
agents seeking recovery of money.
If you opt to use a business name
rather than your own name,
ownership of your business will not
be immediately apparent to others.
The law says you must take action
to rectify this.
The name and address should
appear on all invoices, orders,
receipts, written demands for
payments and business letters. It
should also be displayed pro-
minently at the place(s) where
business is conducted, and you
must divulge ownership of the
business and its address on demand.
Successful sole trader busi-
nesses often change their
status to limited company to
take advantage of limited
liability protection.
Similar statutory rules apply to a
partnership, but there are major
differences in other areas. For a
start, you are not on your own if
you have a partner, or partners,
with equal or varying stakes in the
business. If your partner builds up
debts, you can be held totally
responsible, as any of the partners
can be pursued.
This applies whether or not you
knew the debt was being incurred.
Partners should have an agreement
drawn up by solicitors to prevent
The ST and the law
So how can your ST help you to stay on the right side of the law? In lots
of ways. There could be lots of correspondence between you and
Customs & Excise, the Tax Inspector, the Department of Social Security,
pension and insurance companies and potentially dozens of others.
Be prepared - is that word processor that came with your new or
second-hand ST really up to the challenge? Have you looked at Protext 6
yet (contact Arnor, 0733 68909), or one of its leading challengers,
Redacteur 3.15 (contact The ST Club, 0602 410241)? The speed, power
and features may amaze you.
The curse of the small business is working out VAT (if you're
registered) and income tax returns. But they are legal requirements and
you will have to face them.
Would a 3D spreadsheet like Microdeal's 3D Calc (0726 68020) -
which features integrated editor, programming language, graphics and
extended statistical functions - make the going easier? A well-modelled
worksheet will literally save you hours of valuable time.
Keep track of all things financial, as and when they happen, with The
Biz Plus. This is truly professional accounting software on a budget, and
it's easy to use!
Details from Orpheus Systems (0424 436674). There's also the
excellent Double Sentry - details from Graham R Hutcheon at Finansoft,
problems arising from possible
future break-up.
It is usually easier to draw
money, as a direct loan, from a
sole trader or partnership business.
If you go into businesses either as a
sole trader or a partnership,
statutory benefits for the self-
employed are considerably less
than for the employed.
LIABILITY
With limited liability companies,
the directors are not personally
liable for debts incurred by the
company, apart from non-payment
of National Insurance con-
tributions. This limited liability
factor is one of the major differences
between trading as a sole trader or
partnership, and as a company.
A company is a legal entity in its
own right, whereas a sole trader
or a partnership is all about
individuals whose personal assets
can be seized if debts arise.
There must be at least two
shareholders in a company, and at
least one of these must be a
director. There must be a company
secretary who could be your
accountant, your solicitor, one of
the directors or a shareholder.
Apart from the limited liability
status, which means directors and
shareholders lose only their share
capital if the company fails, advantages
include being able to raise larger
sums of money more easily, and the
ease with which outside investors
can be accommodated.
But there are disadvantages, too,
like more expensive annual
accounting charges, possibly greater
overall taxation, public disclosure
of some information and inability to
offset losses against tax paid in
previous years.
A workers' co-operative is
owned by everyone who works for
it. Decisions are made demo-
cratically. However, that does not
prevent there being managers and
supervisors, just like in any other
business.
Co-operatives are still quite rare
in Britain. Detailed information is
available from: The National
Federation of Worker's Co-
operatives, Vassalli House, 20
Central Road, Leeds LSI 6DE, Tel:
0532 461738.
Those in Scotland should contact:
The Scottish Co-operative
Development Committee, Tel: 04 1 -
554 3797. In Wales, the information
is available from: The Co-operative
Development and Training Centre,
Tel: 0222 554955
45 Connaught Street, London W2 2BB.
Whether limited company, sole trader or partnership, your business
needs a logo that people will remember, which you can use on
letterheads, statements, invoices and a whole host of other
printed material.
And don't forget those notices you need to place in your premises to
comply with the law. There's plenty of scope here for those great all-
rounders, Timeworks (contact Electric Distribution, 0480 496666), or
Calamus (contact ICA , __ "
v ' Pcsfc File Ulndau Block Stat &rj[i:i le»i Hacm apt mils
EurODe, 0734 4524 I 5). »l B:\nnTfl\WBTRTRH.300 [X
~ '0 t 10 : H5-DS ic
Planning the work of -J-^J — B .- c - D ■ E - r 6 I H - I I
starting and running a |i *
small business, meeting tlsaa i756.no 1531.00 2546.00 5430.00 hi&.sq he?. bo (172.00 6s«.c
, ... , , S WW '57.30 7)3.45 145.55 551.18 1115.55 0)4.23 1132.70 1146.6
deadlines and keeping t
, „ ° 7 ;Pu chases 1435. 00 2315.00 1213.011 3125.00 3765.00 1534.00 3745.00 3856. £
appointments is a full-time ■!»« "'- 11 « 5 -» «"* »>■'« ""» *"■« 6S5]S '"-i
job in itself. JJi'
An organiser like Day By {
Day can help enormously, p i
More info-rmation from j. ;"' [PLJ """ 1""" I
Digita International (0395
270273) Helping ,„ u „
out the VAT effortl
Atari ST User February 1994
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m 2, Hi-res monitor
;e. sound sampler soft-
, educational, 60 maga-
: 1,200+, sell for £400 ono.
t Bob, 3 Windmill Close,
• 1040 STE Family Currj.
(sml44) 2 joysticks, superb n
ware, £800 worth, games, sen
zines, 100 cover disks, cost i
phone 0342 3233293
• Penpal required, c
Haylands Ryde, I.O.W.
• Hard DrMn2.fi. 081-977 IMS.
• Epson LX86 printer 9-dot matrix, Atari monitor
Model SMI 24, High-res monochrome manufactured Jan
l990,Atari Mega STFMI040 mouse, external disk drive
RF302R, OEM AC Adaptor, Books, software. 0954
780442.
• 520 STFM with 1Mb upgrade. Tower case, 2 floppies,
42Mb Hard Drive, Naksha Mouse, lots of Software. Mags
and Manuals £390. 0635 865723.
• 1040 STE plus Philips CM8833 MK2 colour monitor,
Cumana disc drive. 1st Word v3.2, Data Manager pro
loads of books mags and software £400. 081 890 2397
after 6pm.
• Want to swap P.D.? Send discs of PD and SAE To Mr
C Munro. 26 Manor Crescent, Surbiton, Surrey, KTS
8LQ.
• First Word+ V3.I5, £25, Database management for
Atari ST £ 1 2 Tel: 0703 32 1 1 02.
• 520 STFM 2.5Mb D/S Drive, second Floppy Drive.
KXP-I 124 printer. SMI25 monitor, plus software. £275.
Call Julian 0895 635695 (Uxbridge). After 6pm w/days.
Anytime w/ends.
• Falcon 65Mb Internal Drive with 330Mb 5CSI Hard
Drive and 1 4in colour SVGA Monitor. Lots of software.
£1,400. Tel Tony 08 1 -940 2235.
• Atari ST games for sale. All boxed originals. Prices
from £2. For list send SAE to: Richard Cottrell. 34
Grange Rd, St Andrews, Fife, KYI6 8LF.
• Hardware/ Software books etc. Loads of good stuff.
0752 823464,
• Mega STE, 4Mb RAM, 1.44Mb Floppy, 52Mb Hard
Drive, External Drive, SMI 44 Monitor, Vidi ST, ATonce,
Mice, loads of software (business and games). £750.00.
Tel: David, 076 1 4 1 285 1 . Bath area.
• Wanted. Mono Monitor, £30-£40. Mint condition. Tel:
Michael, 0662 898422, evgs,
• STE 4Mb RAM, £200, 40Mb reference Hard Disk and
clock cartridge £175, SMI 24 mono monitor £75, Golden
Image scanner and Touch-up Software £65, 14" Suga
multiscan monitor, perfect for screen-blaster £260. Tel:
0242-231691.
Atari bargains 520 mega 4 hard discs, Laser printers.
All working plus load of software. Ring Laurie on 071 630
0199 days.
• Philips colour
541357.
• MEGA ST4. £320. Phone 0582 83341 1 .
• 1 80 Mb drive. £340, Phone 0582 8334 1 I
• SM 1 25 monitor. £70. Tel: 0582 8334 1 I .
• £150. 0484'
Atari ST User February 1994
D
irect-to-disk recording is
(the bee's knees as far as
the music industry is con-
cerned. Digital sound -
music stored as data on a hard
disk - can be altered and edited far
more easily and effectively than
analogue recordings on tape.
The equipment used in studios
might cost the earth but with the
hardware built into the Falcon,
absolutely anyone can do it!
As you're probably aware, the
Falcon contains analogue-to-digital
and digital-to-analogue converters,
meaning you can feed in sound
from any source, convert it to digi-
Falcon D2D has a pretty
interface and good effects
Direct to disk
us
UgHBBQI] HE} 5) 02X2 13
R iasxen Tasfi Puffer: [?1 | Z5B KB | [»1
Free fll5k space: 3(515 kByles • J5B Sec
Smplef requeues: ! <3 KHz | r. ■ ., |ZZ,58| HH
tal information and store it on
disk.
You can also convert it back to
analogue sound and play it through
headphones or speakers. In other
words, you can use your Falcon
very much like a tape recorder.
On the downside, good quality
sound samples take up a lot of disk
space - a four-minute stereo track
recorded at 50kHz will take up
around 45Mb on a hard drive. That
doesn't leave a lot of room if
you're using the internal 60 or
80Mb model.
If you're a real music junkie, the
Midi Aspects pages are the place
to be but
for those
of you
looking to
John Hetherington turns his Falcon
into a hi-fi as he takes a look at some
direct-to-disk recording programs
than the tinny internal speaker
which you'll have to turn off via the
control panel.
A word of warning here - don't
connect speaker outputs from any
device like a hi-fi to the Falcon's
microphone inputs.
Highly amplified signals will
almost certainly damage the
1 Sanpler
8 Bit Mono
8 flit Stereo
® 16 Bit Stereo
Rate (kHz]
8.2 29.8
9.8 24.6
12.3 33.9
16.5 ® 49,2
get into
direct-to-
d i s k
recording
and real
time spe-
c i a I
effects
just for
fun, there
are some budget programs well
worth looking at.
To set them up, all you need is a
set of leads to connect your music
source up to the Falcon's micro-
phone socket.
Most off-the-shelf microphones
will plug straight in and let you
record your own voice, in either
mono or stereo according to the
type of microphone, but if you're
using a CD player or cassette
recorder you will need to connect
the line out jack or phono sockets
to the Falcon.
For best results you'll also need
some active speakers (battery or
mains-driven) plugged into the
Falcon's headphone socket, rather
Options
I Use nicrophonn
1 Use effect
1 Hard disk recording -
M Keep sanple
i:i Take defaults
Free nenory: 1BB0J KByte
Sage ) Play | Record | Effekte \ Cancel |
Compo's Musicom works very
well and offers good value
machine and cost you a lot of
money!
MUSICOM
Musicom was one of the first pro-
grams to arrive for the Falcon and
it is still one of the best and easiest
to use. It saves samples in its own
SMP format but you can choose
from 8-bit mono or stereo sam-
ples, as well as 16 bit stereo, and
one of eight different sampling
rates from 8.2 to 49.2 kHz.
Special effects include delay,
flanger, graphic equaliser, har-
moniser and the dreaded - but
undoubtedly popular - Karaoke.
Musicom isn't much to look at but
it's cheap, cheerful and it works.
An enhanced version, Musicom 2,
is due for release soon which
offers dozens of new features like
sample editing.
FALCON DSD
Falcon D2D is part of the software
bundle from Atari we looked at
last month and works in much the
same way as Musicom.
It offers six sampling rates from
8 to 50KHz and some clever spe-
cial effects ranging from echo,
flanger and chorus to several differ-
ent reverb effects corresponding to
various types of rooms and halls.
It won't run on an SM 1 24 moni-
tor and the sound samples are
saved in yet another proprietary
format, TRM.
The best Karaoke of all - and
registration is only £ 13!
It does have an interesting over-
dub option that lets you add new
information on to an existing track
provided it was recorded at 33KHz
or less.
WINREC
The third budget direct-to-disk
sampler is a shareware offering
that earns itself the honourable
accolade of Falcon PD of the
Month.
It is a fairly basic program that
saves its own format files using one
of eight sample rates, again from 8
to 49KHz, but the files can be
packed to save space. The loss in
quality is only small but higher sam-
pling rates are really only practica-
ble on a fast hard disk.
The two main advantages are the
excellent Karaoke module and the
supplied utility that lets you con-
vert the proprietary sound samples
into AVR files for use with other
programs. What's more, Winrec
will also use the LOD effects files
from Falcon D2D, giving you an
even wider range of special effects.
Karaoke comes home
You've seen it in the pubs and clubs - now
your Falcon? The Karaoke effect works on most popular vocal
music and takes advantage of the stereophonic nature of the
sound.
In most cases, particularly with solo artists, the vocals occur
on both right and left channels so that the singer seems to be
standing in the centre of the stage.
When the sound is being processed with the Karaoke effect
on, the right and left channels are compared and anything
common to both sides is removed.
The result is muted vocals rather than none at all but
nonetheless it is great entertainment. Such a crude method
has its disadvantages in that some instruments can be
removed too but in general it works well for all kinds of tracks.
A* rr ST User February 1994
ADVERTISERS' INDEX
A. F. Weaver Engineering 83
Analogic Computer 19
Arnor 15
AWFPDL 92
Care Electronics 98
COS 9
Drives 83
Eagle Software 65
Europress Direct 84, 85
Fast Engineering 98
Floppyshop 52
Games HQ 92
Gasteiner IFC, 3
Hi-Soft OBC
Jewel PD 92
Ladbroke Computers 11
LAPD 20, 21
New Age PDL 38, 39
Power Computing IBC
Premier Mail Order 83
Silica Systems 73
ST Club 29
System Solutions 6
Take Control 92
The Upgrade Shop 58
Tumblevane 52
Warpzone PDL 42, 43
Wizard PD 52
WTS Electronics 58
FAST ST REPAIRS
Upgrades -
Engineering requirements
■k GUARANTEED
SAME DAY SERVICE
£34.99 * parts
computers received by
11.00 a.m.
• NORMAL
SERVICE
£24.99 + parts
(Typically 24 hrs)
Door to door pick up + delivery anywhere in
the U.K.
Central
London
Also Mono + Colour Monitors
w&s/&umB5rM?
Low Cost upgrading
STEto 1Mb £13.99
STE to 2Mb £49.99
STFM to 1Mb £44.99
STFM to 2.5Mb £79.99
TOS 1 .4 £25.00
TOS 2.06 EPOA
Double Sided Drive £47.00
Power Supply £39.95
Power Supply (Replace) £25.00
Fitting for the above from £15.00
144, Tanner St., Tower Bridge, London SE1 2HG
Tel. 071-2S2 3S53
COLOUR KITS for MONO PRINTERS
Ever wished vou'd bought a colour printer instead of a mono one? Wouldn't it be nice to print out pictures in
colour? Now you can with Atari "FiexiKolor Kit", Each Atari FiexiKolor kit comes complete with everything
you need to print in colour, including superb software. The colour kit is simple to use, the ribbons fit exactly
the same way as your black ribbons so it will not affect your guarantee. Also on ail models listed below
paper alignment is automatic, you do not have to manually align, PRINTS AS GOOD AS COLOUR
PRINTER. If vour printer is not listed below please phone. Atari FiexiKolor kits for Star LC10, LC20, all Star
24 Pin. Panasonic 1080/81 /l 123/ 1 124. Epson FX80, LQ400, LQ800 etc. Citizen 120D+, NEC P6, P6+, Seikosha
1900+. Please note colour kits come complete with coloured ribbons. COMPLETE KIT £39.95
[MsSMIMnreiiEE
mnammBgmxTnmmm
THE COLOUR SOFTWARE FOR YOUR COLOUR PRINTER ■ PRINT ON NORMAL PAPER IRON ON T-SHIRT
* Total colour control
* Balance control for picture enhancement
* Select area to be printed
* Select size to be printed
* Page control
* Colour sieve
* Ink correction
* Automatic poster mode for larger than A4
* Gamma correction (fully adjustable and saveable)
* Spooler for colour letterheads etc
+ Multiple copy control
* Colour correction
* Colour/mono catalogue function
* Imports a large range of file types including (IMG)
larger than screen size, tiny, Spectrum 512, IFF, Degas, Neo, IFF
(Amiga), HAM (Amiga) yes you can even print Amiga pics.
* Colour separation (Print colour on vour Bubble Jet)
* Dot pattern control
* Pattern rotate
* Ideal for T-shirt printing
* Now with 'smooth' control, get rid of those jagged edges.
* Large range of dithering (dot pattern) modes.
* Run in any resolution, view, manipulate and print in any other
resolution
* Colour catalogue function will print a miniature of each picture
configurable between 1 to 8 across
* Will drive 9 or 24 pin Star, Citizen Swiff, Panasonic, NEC,
Epson, Canon etc. The colour pictures possible with this new
version will astound you.
STILL ONLY £39.95 inc
UPGRADE FLEXIDUMF PLUS TO FLEXIDUMP
PLUS 2,
ONLY £11.95 inc. RETURN MASTER DISKS
4 Colour Citizen Swift £29.95
4 Colour Citizen Swift (Reload) £14.95
4 Colour Star LC10 £14.95
4 Colour Star LC200 9 Pin £19.95
4 Colour Star LC200 9 Pin (Reload) £12.95
4 Colour Star LC200 24 Pin £29.95
4 Colour Star 24 Pin (Reload) £14.95
4 Colour Seikosha SL95 £29.95
4 Colour Seikosha SL95 (Reload) £14.95
1 Colour Citizen 120D. Swift £11 95
1 Colour Star LC10 £11.95
1 Colour Star LC200 9 Pin £11.95
1 Colour all Star 24 Pin £11.95
1 Colour Epson FX80 LQ4 ;>'MX80 £11.95
1 Colour Epson LX80 £11.95
1 Colour Epson FX100 £11.95
1 Colour Panasonic KXP 1080 £11.95
1 Colour Taxan/CanonliWi: A £1195
Heat transfer Pens 5 large red /orange/ yellow/green/
blue, Large pens have a marker size nib £14.95 a set
Heat transfer Pens 5 small red/orange/yellow/green/
blue, Small pens have a fine nib £11.95 a set
T-SHIRT RIBBONS NOW AVAILABLE IN RED, BLUE, GREEN, BROWN,
YELLOW and BLACK AND FOR A WIDE RANGE OF PRINTERS
Phone our order line on 0923 894064
Atari ROM Cartridge takes two 27256 or 27512 EPROMS ..£11.95
ALL PRICES INCLUDE VAT AND CARRIAGE
Now available: T-Shirt Printing for HP Deskjet. Also Printing on
to Mugs, Plates, Glass and Aluminium with Transferlaq.
How to order: Enclose cheques/PO made payable to:
CARE ELECTRONIC^ or use Access/Visa.
MAIL ORDER
CARE ELECTRONICS
Dept STU, 15 Holland Gardens, Garston,
W*\ Watford, Herts, WD2 6JN. M
BJ Tel: 0923 894064 Fax: 0923 672102 — ■—
[I1MH ifflTfP
Don't throw away your piastic printer ribbon cases
when the ribbon wears out. Just take the top off,
take out the old ribbon and reload it with a new
one. It's simple. Full instructions supplied.
Reloads fan-
Star LC200 9 Pin 4 Colour (Normal Ink)
1 Reload - £5.99 5 Reloads - £23.95
Star 24 Pin 4 Colour (Normal Ink)
1 Reload - £6.99 5 Reloads - £29.95
Citizen Swift 4 Colour (Normal Ink)
1 Reload - £6.99 5 Reloads - £29.95
Panasonic KXP2180/2123 4 Colour (Normal Ink)
1 Reload - £6.99 5 Reloads - £29.95
Seikosha SL95 4 Colour (Normal Ink)
1 Reload - £6.99 5 Reloads - £29.95
Ink ribbons also available in Gold, Silver, Magenta,
Orange, Purple, Brown, Green, Blue, Red for a wide
range of printers.
Special re-ink for Panasonic printers and Star LC200 9-pin
black 59ml bottle £14.95
No Mess Ink Refills for HP Deskjet
PAINTJET AND CANON BUBBLEJETS
"CARE THREE PACK" will refill HP51608A Cartridge 3
times. The Canon BC-01 /SJ48 Cartridge 3 times. Three
Pack available in Yellow, Magenta, Cyan, Red, Blue,
Green, Brown, Purple, Black £14.98 each.
"TRI-COLOUR PACK" 1 refill of Yellow, Magenta and
Cyan £17.95.
"CARE SIX PACK" will refill HP51608A Cartridge 6
times. The Canon BC/01 Cartridge 6 times.
6 PURE BLACK REFILLS ONLY £24.95
Please state type when ordering
Atari ST User February 1994
:s.. v \
J
cs
computing ltd
telephone 0234 843388
facsimile 0234 840234
technical 0234 841882
(technical is available from 2-5. 30pm)
82
seriesPOO
The Scries 900 HD features a buffered through
>joit, optional battery backed clock, high speed
/0ms seek rate, write protect switch, power supply
and ICD interface and utility disk.
Series 900 52QMB £299
Series 900 120MB £349
JGd / 4 ft b The award winning external disk drive which
includes a virus blocker, built-in Blitz Turbo
The 'Link' from ICD includes an external SCSI and is able to boot from drive B. This is the
host adaptor, allowing the Atari ST to connect to ultimate in external disk drives for the Atari ST
external SCSI devices e.g external hard disks, optical computer.
drives and CD-ROM drives which were originally
lesigned for the Apple Mac, IBM PC etc. Just
plug-iil and no power supply is needed. ,
nowerd rives
ICD 'Link' £89
AD SCSI Plus £89 Power Computing manufacture many disk drives
i\n *5f k ^l «ST CTQ ^ OI rne Atari ST, all of which are made from high
tCD Pro UtilitiesZZ"Z*£39.95 q-Hty components.
PC720P (Inc. PSU) £55
PC720I (Internal) £39.95
(360K upgrade drive, needs case modification}
PC720 Ol (Official internal) £45
(720K replacement drive)
drive-be^ b I e
If you have an internal drive that is not compatible
with 'boot from drive B', this cable will solve your
The award winning scanner from Power pro i em.
Computing allows you to scan up to 400DPI Drive-B Cable £9.95
in real-time greyscale, with an autoscan rate
detect. The scanning software included allows blitz t U I' b O
you to edit and manipulate any image you
sca „ ^^^^^^^ Back-up disks at lightning speeds, Blitz copies
^^fc^^H from the internal to the external drive and cleverly
by-passes your ST's controller chip. In around 40
floptical drive seconds you can back-up an ST disk, what's more
you' can now switch between your disk drive and
The Floptical stores 20MB of data on a 3-5" disk. D i- -i- l • l j- ■ di:
" Blitz lurbo without disconnecting your Blitz
iCD Link is required. interface. Probably the best Atari disk copier on
Floptical drive £329 the market. (1988 Copyright act applies)
Floptical disk £22 each Blitz Turbo £25
printer r a nge supra m o d e m s
iuge range of printers available, Star, Citizen, Supra Modems come complete with English
.Hewlett Packard and Epson. Please telephone for phone cable, RS232 serial cable, heavy duty PSU
prices and your requirements. and comms software, send and receive fax's, 100%
compatible with industry standard 'AT' command
imiSCellanOUSp TO (/ // CtS codes, free trial offer to various services and V42
PowerMGUSe £15 bis data compression.
Power Clock £17.99 Supra Fax Modern* £1 19
Optical Mouse £29.95 Supra Fax Modem 32BIS ....£249
Replacement Optical Mat £10
100 Branded Disks + Box £49 rm 9 * n t e r r U P tion
10 Branded Disks £4.99 Use with Ultimate Ripper or SuperMon. Stop
intruder 1 Joystick £29.99 games or programs in their tracks, search for
Maverick 1 Joystick £1 5.99 infinate lives and hack with the code. A press of a
Python 1 Joystick £9.99 ke y and the P r °g ram is restarted.
Apache 1 Joystick £7.99 Ring Interruption £15
III Power Computing Ltd products come with a hack to base 12 month guarantee. Prices are valid for the month of publication only. Goods are sold
ubject to our standard terms and conditions of sale and are available on request. Specifications and prices are subject to change without notice,
yademarks are acknowledged. All prices include VAT. E & OR
super 777 o n
SuperMon comes with all the features of the
'Ultimate Cartridge' and more. Some of the features
included with SuperMon are: Program Switcher-
allows two programs to be in the memory
simultaneously and switched between at the touch
of a key, Printer Spooler- allows files to be printed
at the same time as other tasks, Comprehensive
Debugger- disassemble programs and step
through them, intercept OS calls, search memory
or find where a routine is called from
automatically, Diagnostics Function- check the
internal functioning of your ST disk analyser,
custom format disks, read/write sectors, hide files,
Utilities- the SuperMon also has many utility
functions available, including reset proof RAM
disk, mouse trap function, time display, screen
snapshot and 50/60Hz display toggle.
Ultimate Cartridge £25
Including SuperMon £35
The Atari RAM Board requires no soldering and
plugs directly inside the ST using the latest
capacity RAM chips. Full fitting instructions,
are supplied. The ST RAM Board is available
either as a 2MB or 4MB RAM expansion.
4MB RAM Expansion £169
1MB SIMM for STE £35
512K RAM STFM £45
order/o r m
.-••;;;^ i7PN
^ ^
U w £
■ff ^
5 £
delivery next day £5.00 2-3 days £2.50 Saturday £ 1 0.00
deliveries are subject to stock availability
New 9oftware for a New Year
usiness Appiicatio.
All dona In Atari Wortil
m " flim " 1
MMB5DS 0SSS7J
fitari Works
The comprehensive, up-to-date, integrated
business package for any Atari 680x0
computer with 2Mb of memory and a hard
disk. Atari Works contains a word processor, a
spreadsheet and a database in one program, so
that swapping between the applications is a
piece of cake!
The word processor contains all the normal
editing functions plus the drawing of lines &
boxes, graphic import, spell checker and
thesaurus, mail merge etc.
The spreadsheet is as powerful as many people will ever need - organise your data clearly and
simply as text, percentage, fixed or floating-point or currency and then, using the 53 built-in
functions, create interdependancies between your information. Then display the results graphically
with pie charts, line graphs etc. and cut/paste these into the word processor!
The database is a joy to use; create as many fields as you need and position them on your form using
the mouse. Once the data has been entered you can sort it, match records, find specific entries and
produce reports, all quickly and simply. It is easy to import data from other databases and export
data for use with the mail merge facility of the word processor.
All modules support the new SpeedoGDOS and are fully integrated - Atari Works is probably the
most powerful integrated package yet seen on the Atari computers.
Text Sigle ETWH1 Obi,
Papyrus
If you need a high-end word processor with many desktop
publishing features then Papyrus is the new package for you.
The application is ideal for producing all types of
professional-looking output, from one-page flyers to complete
manuals. With extensive SpeedoGDOS support, paragraph styles,
headers, footers, footnotes, reliable undo, automatic table of
contents, flexible zoom, index creation, full margin control, freely
adjustable paper format, letter micro-spacing, GEM vector import,
text flow around objects, master pages, RTF support and more,
Papyrus is the premier choice for all serious writers and designers.
t 1 C!\I1EWK,MP\[I<WLES\H*IN'JI.1 f.
|
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•fiKtblir sptloni ■ Control
□ Output tyibolt In IW
□ No Hirnlois
Blntru crtroullni
ram-i
"... 5i!",u
- "s:." "Sfttr*
■■♦ ■!
Remember that we've also updated our
other programming languages for the
Falcon. Devpac 3.10, Lattice C 5.60 and
HiSoft BASIC 2.10 all contain extra
libraries/include files for the Falcon, an
extended debugger that works in all
Falcon resolutions and much more. The
Modem Atari System Software book (free
with Lattice C 5.60) gives full Falcon
developer documentation.
DevpacDSP
Another new programming
package joins the HiSoft
family of languages for the
Atari 680x0 computers.
DevpacDSP is a complete
development system for the
Motorola 56001 digital
signal processor used in the
Falcon030.
DevpacDSP consists of a fast 56001
assembler, fully integrated with
our friendly GEM editor, which
supports macros, conditional
assembly, include files and direct
production of .LOD files or Falcon
binary plus an easy-to-use
GEM-based debugger for
disassembling and stepping
through your code, modifying
registers, setting breakpoints etc.
ideo/Mi
The best-value real-time video digitiser
you can buy. VideoMaster is available
for the ST/STe and, in a special
enhanced true colour version, for the
Falcon. VideoMaster RGB includes our
new colour splitter, ColourMaster and
produces amazing quality colour stills.
Clarity is our latest sound sampling
system for the Falcon. Featuring an
extensive sample editor, a complete drum
sequencer and a powerful MIDI
controller, Clarity is an ideal companion
for all musicians. Includes extra hardware
for CD (44.1KHz) and DAT (48KHz).
• ! MLEKIN III *
filo Option!
□ «.n " «•>. "M ©U.H
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5 .J?°L ?,
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£>
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•i r
t
H RLEKIN3
This popular collection of utilities for
all Atari computers gets another
facelift. Harlekin 3 contains a
multitude of enhancements including
a multi-file editor, a new
communications module with a
scripting language, support for high
density disks, a new Alarms module,
for use with the Manager, separate
keyboard and font editors and much
more. The whole package has a new
look, with all modules in a window or
a flying dialog so that they can be
moved and the memory configuration
is now even simpler. Upgrades from
Harlekin 2 cost only £19.95.
If you have difficulty obtaining our new titles, just call, quoting your
Access/Masfercard/Visa/Switch/Connect card number and expiry date and we will
despatch the goods within 5 working days. For an extra £5 we will despatch the day of
order by ParcelForce 24 hour service. Ask for our new 32-page catalogue.
VISA
High Quality Software I
The Old School Greenfield
Bedford MK45 5DE UK.
Tel +44 (0) 525 718181
Fax +44 (0)525 713716
© Copyright HiSoft 1994. E&OE.
Live Music
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